From Bath Cats and Dogs Home: Bath Cats and Dogs Home has seen a huge influx of 27 Cats and 31 kittens in May and expects to care for over a hundred kittens in total this year.
Every Summer, breeding between unneutered cats causes a flood of unexpected litters of kittens which often end up being abandoned or surrendered to animal rescue centres.
This year, with the high cost of living causing financial strain for pet owners and the unusually warm spring weather increasing interaction between cats, Bath Cats and Dogs Home is expecting to see more pregnant cats than ever needing care in their specialist kitten unit.
Julie Stone, Head of Animal Operations at Bath Cats and Dogs Home said: “We’d ask for the public to help cats in three ways this kitten season. Firstly, don’t get caught out with unwanted kittens this summer, ask your vet about getting your cat neutered early to avoid unwanted litters. If you find an abandoned cat with kittens, please reach out to your local vet or animal rescue centres for help. Finally, we’re here to help but it stretches our teams and our resources to the limit caring for so many kittens so please support our A feline summer appeal so we can continue picking up the pieces for cats in need.”
Kittens can get pregnant as early as four months old so getting your cats neutered will help prevent unwanted litters as cats can have up to three litters per year. Caring for an unexpected litter of kittens can be stressful and costly as each kitten costs a minimum of £200 for basic care and as a result sadly many cats and kittens are cruelly abandoned, leaving animal rescue centres to cope with the pressure.
Keen animal lover Chrissie Anderton, who rescued an abandoned cat and her six kittens from a field, said: “I was walking my dogs near Bradford on Avon when I heard a cat meowing so I investigated and discovered Rosalina and her 2-day-old kittens hidden in long grass. I couldn’t leave them at risk from predators so I brought them home and cared for them for two weeks. Having four pets already, sadly, the high cost of keeping seven more cats just wasn’t possible. It was hard to say goodbye when I took them to the amazing Bath Cats and Dogs Home but I know they are in the safest place and will have a happy future.”
The RSPCA reports that 14,568 cat incidents were recorded nationally between May to September last year and there were 7,879 reports of abandoned cats. So far this year, the RSPCA has received nearly 3,000 reports of abandoned cats and they expect this to rise significantly as the breeding season continues.
Find out about Bath Cats and Dogs Home’s spring appeal at A feline summer. Funds raised will help provide cats and kittens with the care they need before and after birth, as well as neutering, vaccinations and rehoming to a loving new home. www.bcdh.org.uk
