Littered... with cats
Animal rescue charities are bracing themselves for a huge influx of kittens as the mating season gets under way after neutering levels dropped in the pandemic. There are more than one million unneutered cats in the UK, and now charities fear a “catbreeding explosion”, further contributing to the large populations of strays on the streets.
RSPCA’s cat welfare expert Samantha Watson says: “Although the decrease in neutering is fairly small, this equates to a lot of unneutered cats, meaning that we could have a cat-breeding explosion on our hands.”
The latest PDSA PAW Report reveals that some owners of females believe their cat should be allowed to have one litter, and 62% admit the litter was unplanned. A Cats Protection spokesman says: “Having an accidental litter of kittens is stressful, time-consuming and expensive.
“If your cat hasn’t been neutered, keep them indoors with plenty to keep them entertained.” ■■For information on neutering, visit rspca.org.uk