90 Cats and Counting: Cat Crazies, TV review: Channel 5 delivered on the borderline-unhinged quota

Felines are good for viewing figures, particularly if their eccentric owners are involved

Self-confessed 'mad cat woman' Silvana has 52 cats (Channel 5)

After last week's Psycho Pussies: When Cats Attack, Channel 5 was at it again with 90 Cats and Counting: Cat Crazies. Felines are good for viewing figures, particularly if their eccentric owners are involved. This programme delivered on the borderline-unhinged quota.

"You end up with a full heart and an empty wallet," said Kelly, breeder and owner of 40 felines, who had chosen the cats over her husband. There was a couple in Greece who spent nights running a meals-on-wheels for strays (monthly cost: £12,000) despite being attacked by their less cat-passionate neighbours. Then we met the family who relocated to run a "cat hotel", its rooms lovingly adorned with chintzy throws and scatter cushions while their own home was left to literally rot.

After listening to Silvana, who spent £90,000 a year running a cat rescue centre tell how the stress of it all had given her panic attacks, I felt grateful to class myself as a plain old cat lover. Not in the literal sense of course, that accolade went to Barbarella who has been "married" to two cats since 2004. We saw her renewing her vows, I suspect purely for the cameras and column inches, (she's a press regular).

Anyway, I hope Channel Five paid the poor people for their time as the cats sure as hell weren't earning their crust.

@sally_newall