NewsHail
25 May 2025
An animal rescue centre is warning cat owners: don’t get caught out this summer.
Unneutered stray cats have caused a big rise in the number of kittens.
Bath Cats and Dogs Home is now caring for almost 30 kittens and their mums. Many of them were left behind or lost.
The cost of living is high, and many people can’t afford to care for kittens they didn’t plan to have. At the same time, fewer people are adopting pets. This means more cats stay in shelters with no forever home.
In warm weather, cats like to roam, meet other cats, and look for food. So the rescue centre is asking owners to neuter their cats. This can stop unwanted kittens.
Cats can get pregnant as young as four months old. If they are not neutered, they can have up to three litters each year. That adds up to hundreds of kittens in one cat’s life.
This leads to more cats in shelters, which are already very full and short on money.
The shelter says it costs about £1,700 to care for a mother cat and her kittens for three months.
On one day in May, 15 cats came to the shelter.
Chrissie Anderton found a lost cat and her six newborn kittens in a field in Bradford-on-Avon, Wiltshire. She looked after them for two weeks.
She said, “I already have four pets. I couldn’t afford to keep seven more. It was hard to say goodbye, but I know they are safe at Bath Cats and Dogs Home. They’ll have a good life.”
