Breckland Cats Protection, which covers towns including Thetford, Brandon and Mildenhall, urges the public to get their cats neutered as it becomes inundated with kittens
A cat rescue charity in Thetford is urging the public to get their feline friends neutered after it has become inundated with kittens.
Breckland Cats Protection, which covers Thetford, Mildenhall, Brandon, Lakenheath and other surrounding villages, has around 25-30 kittens in its care following a breeding boom this summer.
With breeding season from April to September, many of the kittens have been born from feral cats in the area, while some have made their way to the charity after being dumped.
Branch co-ordinator Wendy Raphael, who has been with Breckland Cats Protection since its launch, said the charity was currently in an unprecedented period.
“The branch started in 2002 and it’s the worst I’ve ever known it in the last 21 years,” she said.
“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 said that this summer, volunteers had seen double the number of kittens compared to previous years which was on top of the need to rehome older cats.
She added that to prevent this from happening again, owners needed 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 looking for more fosterers, but Wendy said it is a commitment.
“We normally say if people can commit to two years then we’ll invest in them,” added Wendy.
Visit the website here for more information about the branch.
•Elsewhere, Bury’s Stray Cat Fund, based in Bury St Edmunds, also said it has been impacted with breeding season, with 31 kittens placed with fosters across the county.
However, chairman Sarah Oram said this year’s situation is not as bad as last year.
“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 interested in rehoming a cat or kitten should email info@burystraycatfund.co.uk.