Nearly 1,000 cats dumped in Britain in June, says RSPCA



The RSPCA is asking cat owners to neuter their pets after this summer's busy 'kitten season' has seen very young cats dumped across the country.

It says one case saw a kitten abandoned in museum gardens, another outside a bus stop and a third in a bin. These were just three separate incidents in London over the last week - and there are concerns these numbers could grow.

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A young black and white female cat, thought to be around a year old, was found at a bus stop on Saturday 25 June. The young kitten was trembling in a box with no-one else around when a kind member of the public found her and called the RSPCA. She is currently being cared for in boarding.

The next day, a seven-week-old kitten was found in the gardens of the Horniman Museum in Forest Hill. He had been left in his carrier with a bloated belly and covered in fleas. He is now being cared for at Putney Animal Hospital and has been named Jerry (pictured).

On Wednesday 22 June, a two-day-old kitten, now named Juno, was found in a bin in Canning Town. A passing member of the public heard the soft meow and looked inside the bin to see the tiny baby animal in a cardboard box inside, so young his eyes were still shut and umbilical cord still attached. He is now being cared for at Harmsworth Animal Hospital and is being hand-fed by staff every two hours because he is so young.

RSPCA inspector Anthony Pulfer said: "We had three cases of little kittens being dumped in London in a short space of time - and there could be many more we don't know about.

"We seem to be living in a throwaway society where people just dump young animals when they either don't have the resources to care for them or don't know how, or just don't want to anymore. It is so upsetting to see.

"Little Jerry and Juno were not even old enough to be away from their mums - and are now having to be hand-reared by staff and fosterers. They would not have been able to survive had we not been called by these passing kindly members of the public."

The RSPCA has received 5,297 complaints about cat abandonments so far this year, 969 of them in June (until Monday 27 June), which is already up from 896 in May before the month has finished. In Greater London, there have been 558 complaints, 108 of them in June (also until Monday 27 June).

RSPCA cat welfare expert Alice Potter said: "Sadly we do see kittens being abandoned during 'kitten season' - this is the time of year when most kittens are born.

"We strongly believe the answer lies in loving cat owners neutering their cats before they can get pregnant, so avoiding unplanned pregnancies. We urge people to do the responsible thing as soon as possible.

"At about four months of age, female cats will start to attract the attention of males so it is important to get your cat spayed before this point to protect her from getting pregnant while she's still a kitten herself. Subsidies are often available to help with the cost."



Abandoned Cat Is Rescued, But Loses All Its Fur
Abandoned Cat Is Rescued, But Loses All Its Fur

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