ORNAMENTAL cats made of rabbit fur have been withdrawn from sale from Eastleigh's Swan Shopping Centre after a Bishopstoke shopper claimed they were offensive.

The cats - which were not labelled as being made out of rabbit fur - were on sale on a stall in one of the covered centre's shopping malls.

But fur started to fly when Jenny Meldrum, 51, of Cotton Close, Bishopstoke, spotted them.

She said: "I was out with some friends when I saw what looked like half a dozen dead cats on a stall. I was horrified when I was told they were made of rabbit fur. They looked like cats I've seen run over in the past.

"There should be a label on the animals so people know what they are made out of, or else someone could innocently buy one without knowing."

Stall worker Kwan Burachati, 26, told the Daily Echo that the stall owner had telephoned the suppliers who claimed the fur came from rabbits used for pet food.

She said: "We have had some trouble with animal rights people objecting to them but the animals were not killed just for this purpose."

But after the Daily Echo stepped in Swan Centre manager Roger Allen said: "As a result of the complaint the trader has withdrawn all the offending items from all four of his countrywide stalls, and will not be using them again."

When told that the items were being removed from sale, Jenny Meldrum said: "I'm very relieved, that's wonderful news.''