Peterborough Cat Rescue volunteers plea for help against ‘major’ neutering issue

Cat rescue volunteers are urging owners to get their pets neutered, following an increase in unwanted kittens being ‘treated like rubbish’.

Due to the cost of living crisis, Peterborough Cat Rescue – which covers south Lincolnshire - has noticed a dramatic rise in cat neglect, abandonment and people being unable to cover pet finances.

One of the biggest issues the charity currently faces, is the amount of cats and kittens not being neutered across the area.

Lewis Trickey retired from being an RSPCA Inspector ten years ago and is now a volunteer from his home in Langtoft.

He said: “I've worked in animal welfare in different forms for over 20 years and I’ve never known it as bad - it is just endless.

“Every day someone is phoning up explaining they’ve got kittens they don’t want. It is a massive issue nationally and it is mostly down to the fact people just don't have the money anymore.

“This year our costs have averaged at about £10,000 a month, which is spent on vet bills. In the last year we have never been without a kitten - once your last cat goes, there's more coming into our home the same day.

“To put it into context, two unneutered cats can produce hundreds of kittens in a year between them, it is a major issue and it can’t carry on like this forever.”

Get more stories like this delivered straight to your inbox every morning - sign up to The Briefing here

The registered charity is predominantly run by more than 60 volunteers who are currently looking after 100 cats and kittens - but foster careers are now running out of room.

Unfortunately, many kittens are left on the side of the road or given to unsuitable homes.

Lewis added: “They often get dumped in cardboard boxes, being treated like rubbish, it’s absolutely appalling.

“We recently had to go and rescue a mother and her kittens who had been dumped at a stables. They were all skin and bone, riddled with fleas and worms.

“None of them had been neutered so all of the brothers and sisters from the mum mated with each other. This meant that one of the newer kittens, Roo, who was 14 weeks old when we found her, had been left with a deformed paw.

“Its not the first time we’ve seen something like this, inbreeding in kittens is an issue due to the lack of neutering.

“Roo’s operation will cost £800 and if we just left it, the stump would have become infected and painful – it is the kindest thing to do, especially as she is so young.”

Peterborough Cat Rescue is currently looking for volunteers and foster carers. If you are interested, visit the website www.peterboroughcatrescue.org.uk for more information.

Alternatively, you could donate by visiting the service’s Facebook page.

A petition has also been created for the Government to make neutering compulsory for cats and dogs in the UK. This is due to the overwhelming numbers of animals being put on a waiting list nationally.

For more information, and to sign it, visit https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/643163.

l Peterborough Cat Rescue is also one of the animal charities which offer vouchers for free cat neutering to owners who might find themselves in a difficult financial situation. More information can be found on their website.