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What do we do about the "cat crisis"?
kittens
In Surrey alone, the RSPCA has rescued 384 cats so far this year.
Vets invited to an event hosted by Surrey vet school and the RSPCA

Surrey's new vet school has teamed up with the RSPCA to tackle the UK's overpopulation of cats. The school hopes its students will lead the way in changing attitudes to early neutering.

More than 120 veterinary practices in Surrey have been invited to a training evening on December 2 to discuss a solution to the problem.

A panel of experts will attend, including the RSPCA's chief vet James Yeates, Surrey's Gail Anderson and representatives from regional RSPCA inspectorates and Cats Protection centres.

James said: "The idea behind the evening is both to share with vets in the area the problems we are facing with the overpopulation of cats, and provide a forum for us to discuss the best ways of dealing with it".

In Surrey alone, the RSPCA has rescued 384 cats so far this year. This is up from 260 in the same period last year. Across England and Wales as a whole, the charity has rescued 30,205 cats compared to 27,840 in 2013.

James Yeates said he hopes the training evening will become "the launchpad for finding a solution in Surrey".

"Last year was horrendous in terms of the number of cats which were abandoned. They were left in boxes outside our shops, by rubbish bins, in woodland and all kinds of places - it was heartbreaking."

Recent research found that 85 per cent of litters are unplanned. The RSPCA believes this is because too few owners realise cats can get pregnant from four months of age.

Professor Anderson, head of veterinary education at Surrey vet school said: "By highlighting the advantages of early age neutering for cats we can address the problem of unwanted 'teen pregnancies' in cats that add so much to the problem.

"We want our vet students to be leaders in changing the attitude to early neutering so it becomes the norm for the profession".

The event will be held at the University of Surrey in Guildford. It costs £20 a head, including refreshments, and will count as CPD certification. Contact the university's Julia Gerhold on jgerhold@surrey.ac.uk for information about attending.

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Equine Disease Surveillance report released for Q4 2025

News Story 1
 The latest Equine Disease Surveillance report has been released, with details on equine disease from Q4 of 2025.

The report, produced by Equine Infectious Disease Surveillance, includes advice on rule changes for equine influenza vaccination.

Statistics and maps detail recent outbreaks of equine herpes virus, equine influenza, equine strangles and equine grass sickness. A series of laboratory reports provides data on virology, bacteriology, parasitology and toxicosis.

This issue also features a case study of orthoflavivus-associated neurological disease in a horse in the UK. 

Click here for more...
News Shorts
RCVS members invited to question Council candidates

RCVS members have been invited to submit questions to candidates for this year's RCVS Council election.

With 15 candidates standing for three available positions, vets have been invited to submit a question of their choosing before voting starts. These questions will be collated, with each candidate answering one question of their choice.

It is recommended that members read the candidates' biographies and statements before submitting questions. One question per member can be submitted to vetvote26@rcvs.org.uk before Wednesday, 25 February 2026.

The RCVS Council election is due to start in March.

With only two candidates for two positions on the VN Council, there will be no VN Council elections this year. Meghan Conroy RVN and Lauren Hargrave RVN will begin their three year terms at RCVS' AGM in July.