A cat rescue charity in Thetford is urging the general public to get their feline associates neutered after it has change into inundated with kittens.
Breckland Cats Protection, which covers Thetford, Mildenhall, Brandon, Lakenheath and different surrounding villages, has round 25-30 kittens in its care following a breeding growth this summer time.
With breeding season from April to September, most of the kittens have been born from feral cats within the space, whereas some have made their approach to the charity after being dumped.
Branch co-ordinator Wendy Raphael, who has been with Breckland Cats Protection since its launch, mentioned the charity was at the moment in an unprecedented interval.
“The branch started in 2002 and it’s the worst I’ve ever known it in the last 21 years,” she mentioned.
“It does get you down when you have to turn people away, particularly when they’ve got kittens.
“I trapped seven kittens last week – the mother had had them in someone’s garden. Had they been left to go wild, they would have turned into feral cats and then would have gone to have more and more kittens.”
Wendy mentioned that this summer time, volunteers had seen double the variety of kittens in comparison with earlier years which was on prime of the necessity to rehome older cats.
She added that to forestall this from taking place once more, house owners wanted to have their cats neutered.
“Please get your cats neutered because then we won’t have this problem.
“We do run a neutering scheme. We don’t give everyone money – if people can afford to get their cat neutered – but we do help people who are on benefits or on low income with vouchers towards the cost of neutering, so there’s no excuse for not doing it.
“And don’t dump kittens – contact us. If we can’t help you, maybe we can get someone who can. There’s always a solution.”
The charity is in search of extra fosterers, however Wendy mentioned it’s a dedication.
“We normally say if people can commit to two years then we’ll invest in them,” added Wendy.
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•Elsewhere, Bury’s Stray Cat Fund, based mostly in Bury St Edmunds, additionally mentioned it has been impacted with breeding season, with 31 kittens placed with fosters throughout the county.
However, chairman Sarah Oram mentioned this yr’s state of affairs will not be as unhealthy as final yr.
“Last year it seemed that every other village had a litter of feral kittens. It was ridiculous. This year it seems to have calmed down slightly.”
Anyone excited by rehoming a cat or kitten ought to e-mail [email protected].
