Rising Numbers of Abandoned Kittens
456 kittens were given up from January to June 2008 compared to 542 this year.
The charity’s eleven animal adoption centres nationwide are currently inundated with over 200 unwanted kittens, with many more waiting to be taken in when there is space. But supply is exceeding demand and there simply aren’t enough homes coming forward.
The charity is urging people never to dump animals after reporting an increase in boxes of kittens being abandoned outside centres. Two separate incidents occurred within one week at The Blue Cross animal adoption centre in Cambridge last month during particularly hot weather, with the kittens inside left hungry, overheated and traumatised.
Blue Cross vet nurse Tamsin Durston added: “We’re facing a kitten crisis across the country so it’s vital that people neuter their cats now to prevent the problem getting any worse. It’s far better to pay a small one-off amount for neutering than face the much larger ongoing costs of caring for whole litters of kittens, when homes can’t be found.”
The Blue Cross offers subsidised neutering for the pets of people on low incomes at its animal hospitals and clinics across the UK, funded entirely by public donations. To be eligible, clients must be in receipt of means tested benefits or a state pension.
To find out more about the neutering scheme or make a donation to The Blue Cross, visit the charity’s website by clicking here.
Defra has published guidance for the vet sector ahead of a proposed UK-EU Sanitary and Phytosanitary agreement.
