An RSPCA rehoming centre in Worcestershire says it’s taken in more unwanted cats so far this year than at any other time since the shelter first opened seven years ago.
Almost 200 cats have already come through the doors of The Holdings Animal Centre in Kempsey in 2023, a rise of 32 percent compared to the same period last year.
The cost of living is thought to be why many people are choosing to rehome their pets, although the centre has also dealt with numerous incidents where cats have been deliberately abandoned or become injured or pregnant while trying to survive on the streets.
Nationally the RSPCA has over 200 cats on waiting lists in private boarding establishments and hospitals because there is no space to transfer them to accommodation at one of its own centres or branches.
Claire Wood from The Holdings, which is run by the RSPCA’s Worcester and Mid-Worcestershire Branch, said: “We’re seeing a record number of unwanted cats and the situation is showing no sign of slowing down.
“Together with our small team of fosterers we’ve currently got 48 cats and kittens in our care and we also have a long waiting list.
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“We’re also getting calls on an almost daily basis from people who want to relinquish their pets, it’s heartbreaking.
“We’ve seen a slowdown this year in people wanting to adopt kittens, particularly pairs. The numbers we are seeing are exacerbated by people still not neutering their cats and it’s actually rare for us to have one come in that has already been neutered.”
Four-month-old Archie is one of many kittens who is being looked after at The Holdings.
Found petrified and all alone in a car park in Birmingham earlier this month, he was - and remains - extremely wary of humans. Staff decided that what he needed was the company of other kittens, and he was readily accepted by a small group and has since been reserved for a new home with two of his new-found friends.
To help ease the pressure on space, the RSPCA is also transferring cats between its centres up and down the country.
Last week a two-year-old cat - which The Holdings has named Ken - made the journey from the charity’s Birmingham Animal Centre, where he was initially taken after his owner’s poor health meant he could no longer be cared for.
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