Cats neutering plea from inundated Worcestershire rescue centre

All the pens for cats and kittens at The Holdings rescue centre were full, staff said

Cat owners are being urged to get their pets neutered by an RSPCA rescue centre which has been inundated with felines.

The Holdings, in Kempsey, near Worcester, has 22 pens and all of them were full with a waiting list to take in more, staff said.

Numbers of cats coming in had risen hugely since the pandemic, Clare Wood, from the centre, said.

"The big problem is people are not neutering their cats, they just aren't," she added.

"We've got cats coming in who are a year old and they are already on their second litter already."

'Need more support'

Pet ownership surged during the pandemic and owners then struggled with mounting financial stress.

The centre saw 126 kittens come in during 2022, which was an increase of 21% on the year before.

Owners have struggled in the cost of living crisis to pay for vet treatment, Ms Wood said.

The centre offers a £10 neutering service for people on low incomes to try to help.

Ms Wood said high number of cats coming in meant they were also "on our knees" in terms of funding to feed and care for them.

"People are very good when we put a shout out on Facebook, but we just constantly need more support," she added.