Northamptonshire RSPCA branch due leave home gets extension

The RSPCA said it was focusing on teaching about the responsibilities of pet ownership in the hope fewer animals would be given up

An RSPCA branch which had been due to leave one of its homes this month has been given a three-month extension.

The Northamptonshire RSPCA currently has 63 cats at its base between Brixworth and Creaton.

It has been able to either rehome or foster its dogs and rabbits from the site and moved some operations to another of its hub in Rushden.

Operations manager Dawn Smith said the charity was "really appreciative" for the lease extension.

Since 2020, the charity has faced the prospect of leaving the Creaton site and Ms Smith said it had been "an up and down couple of years".

"We're still up and running; we're still taking animals and rehoming them," she said.

"But it's just slightly different, slightly harder work, but we're passionate and we're not going to let anyone stop us."

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The branch said it was shifting focus to its community hub in Rushden, where it would teach owners about what their pet needs in their home.

Ms Smith said: "It is the education of the responsibility of owning a pet. If we can do that the charity won't have to take in so many animals in the future."

She added the charity had seen the effect of the rising cost of living with people contacting them having taken in other family members' animals, and pet owners having worries over vet bills and dental work.

The branch held a cat rehoming day in Rushden on Sunday for 11 of its animals.