Influx of cats at West Norfolk charity
The RSPCA is concerned
The RSPCA Norfolk West Branch’s cattery is currently full with 14 cats and eight kittens, and they also now have a waiting list of more wanting to come into the charity's care.
Carl Saunders, general manager at the branch’s Eau Brink Rehoming Centre, said:
“We really are inundated with cats and kittens at the moment - and as result our cattery is now full and we even have a waiting list for more wanting to come into our care once the space becomes available.
“It is concerning, and we hope this isn’t the start of something bigger.
“At the moment the felines who are coming into our care are as a result of a number of reasons - such as accidental litters, where parent cats hadn’t been neutered, or people no longer able to look after their animals due to a change in circumstances. We have also taken in feral cat litters as well.
“Fortunately we still have members of the public contacting us to adopt the cats - but it is a case as soon as one goes out for rehoming, there is another one filling their pen.
“We just wanted to highlight this issue and also remind owners the importance of getting their cats neutered so that they avoid having accidental litters.”
The national RSPCA has raised concerns about a huge surge in demand for pets during lockdown as families made the most of spending more time at home. What concerns the charity is what’s happening to these ‘lockdown’ pets now and what will happen to them over the coming months.
The charity is worried that while many families will have considered the long-term commitment of taking on a pet, some may not have been thinking post-lockdown about how they’ll care for their new pet when they return to work or how they’ll pay for them if they should be hit by the recession.