RSPCA reveals it received 90 reports about cats in Hertfordshire since lockdown

The RSPCA is facing a cat crisis as the charity cares for more cats than any other pet with more than 1,000 felines currently in its care.

Since lockdown, the charity has taken 324 cats into its care, more than any other pet, and fears that the situation is set to get worse, as the traditional kitten season gets underway.

The charity is currently caring for 1,013 cats (as of 13 May) which is more than any other pet in its care, including 53 cats at RSPCA Southridge Animal Centre in Potters Bar, Hertfordshire.

There is always an influx of youngsters at this time of year but lockdown means that it is harder for owners to neuter their pets and the charity’s experts fear they will see even more unwanted litters coming through its doors.

Since the start of lockdown, there have been 6,630 incidents reported to the charity’s hotline about cats with 90 incidents reported in Hertfordshire.

Animal rescuers at the charity have been designated key workers by the Government and the charity has launched an emergency appeal for vital funding which is needed to help the RSPCA’s frontline staff continue this crucial work across England and Wales.

Dr Samantha Gaines, head of the RSPCA’s companion animal department, said: “We are currently caring for more cats than any other pet throughout the Coronavirus crisis.

"Every year, the scale of the cat overpopulation problem becomes even more apparent from May to September when most cats are born as the RSPCA is often overwhelmed with kittens.

"The kitten season this year will continue despite COVID-19 and so the charity is bracing itself for even more cats.”

Last year, there were 108,190 incidents reported about cats including 1,452 in Hertfordshire.

Over the weekend, Tracy Deamer, animal welfare officer for the RSPCA's Middlesex North West & South Hertfordshire branch, was called to intu shopping centre in Watford to help catch a feral cat and her kittens who had been living in the centre’s underground service depot.

Tracy said: "Dawn from Kitty Kat Rescue & Rehoming contacted me and asked for some help trapping the mum and her four kittens who had been spotted on CCTV living in the service depot. This is where the lorries take deliveries and was, pre-lockdown, a busy, noisy place.

"It's a huge area, like a maze. But thanks to Val, who works in intu's security team, we were able to find and trap mum and three of the kittens on Friday night (22 May) but the fourth was nowhere to be seen.

"Thankfully, on Sunday, he was spotted, caught and reunited with his family. They're all now in our care and are doing well.

"The service depot felt a lot like the ship in the Alien movies so I decided to name them after the characters. Mum, who is around one, is Ripley and the kittens, who we believe to be around three-months-old, are now called Bishop, Hicks, Newt and Morse."

Sam added: “Our frontline officers will continue to rescue as many cats as we can and our animal centre staff, hospitals and branches will carry on caring for the many cats coming into our care throughout the crisis.

"We rely on donations from our generous supporters to carry out this vital work and need their support now more than ever as our services become stretched to the limit.

“We believe neutering cats from four months old will help tackle the cat overpopulation problem the UK faces.

"This will reduce the amount of unwanted and unexpected litters of kittens that are born and sadly end up in rescue centres.

"We understand that many owners may not be able to get their pets neutered at the moment as understandably vets are prioritising emergencies in the face of Covid-19 and restricting other procedures.

"It is important to follow your vet’s guidance and understand if they cannot neuter your pet at this time. We would urge anyone with an unneutered female cat to keep them indoors.

"If you have a male/female pair or really can’t keep your cat inside, do call your vet to discuss options.”

You can make a donation and help the RSPCA keep rescuing animals like these and keep the animal hospitals and centres running for emergency treatment and round the clock care through these unprecedented times, by visiting: www.rspca.org.uk/covid.