A GIANT cat, mouse and rabbit were on hand to greet customers at an animal charity shop in Kentish Town, as it launched its new look today.

Staff members donned animals suits, a tarot reader foretold people's fortunes and there was tea and biscuits for all at the People's Dispensary for Sick Animals charity store in Kentish Town Road.

It was one of many special events taking place simultaneously around the country, as part of the vet charity's national rebranding campaign. PDSA has recently been thrust into the limelight, as the first episode in a TV series about their Pet Fit Club, designed to help obese animals lose weight, airs tonight on ITV at 4pm.

Kentish Town PDSA store manager, Nicole Duty, said: “A lot of people know who we are but don't really understand how big we are, so today, all the PDSA stores, hospitals and offices across the country are celebrating the launch of the new brand. As for the Pet Fit Club, it is about promoting pet health as a lot of us tend to over-treat our pets. We love them so we want to give them whatever they want, but a lot of the time it is bad for them, so it is about reigning that in and doing what is best for the animal." 

Tarot reader and PDSA volunteer Linda Holmes tells people's fortunes

Assistant manager John Dunne, 59, said: “I have had little old ladies come in and say 'my cat's ill and it's costing me a fortune'. That's the thing, they know we are a pet charity but not a vet charity.”

The PDSA store has occupied the spot in Kentish Town Road for 15 years. Its main goal is to raise money to offer free vet services to those who need a helping hand. PDSA runs 51 pet hospitals around the country. For people living outside the hospitals' catchment area, there are over 300 private practices which also offer PDSA services. Last year, they provided over two million free treatments, which would have cost over £60million. As well as helping injured animals, they offer preventative treatments like neutering and tagging.

Mr Dunne, who previously worked in Camden Town fancy dress shop Escapade, said: “We have completely turned this shop around in a year, it is different to other charity shops, we have brought it into the 21st century. A lot of young people come in looking for vintage clothes; things like evening gowns, oversized jumpers, knitted things… We have lots of regular customers that come in on a daily basis.”

As they do not receive any government or lottery funding, the charity relies solely on public donations and sales from their shops. And with only three paid staff, the store is kept in running order by a number of volunteers, many of whom are training to become vets. The shop is currently looking for more volunteers.

PDSA also give out an annual award known as the Dickin Medal, which is recognised as the animal equivalent of the Victoria Cross. The award has recently been given to a search dog named Buster, who found explosives in Iraq in 2003 and is responsible for saving the lives on numerous civilians and another called Sasha who was killed in Afghanistan. It has previously been won by 32 pigeons, 29 dogs, three horses and one cat.