Charity warns about kitten 'boom' in north-east

A charity is encouraging pet owners to have their cats neutered - after a kitten "boom" in the north-east.

Volunteers at the Fraserburgh, Peterhead & District of Cats Protection have been kept busy looking after the cats and their offspring.

The charity says different factors are behind the rise in births, including a backlog of neutering cases - after many were put on hold by vet practices during lockdown.

Branch co-ordinator Ron Maclean said: "There are definitely a few different factors coming into play here for so many coming into care at the same time, but education is still the biggest concern and people need to realise that being a pet owner comes with great responsibilities.

"There have been people getting cats and kittens from various sources during lockdown, not getting them neutered, then getting bored and either abandoning them, or leaving them to stray; as well as people unable to cope with their pets because of financial or health restraints."

The branch says it is able to find the kittens homes - due to a length waiting list already being in place - but is concerned about the detrimental impact on the health and wellbeing of unneutered cats.

A recent survey by Cats Protection found that 77% of respondents were unaware cats could get pregnant from as young as four months old, while 86% did not know a female cat could produce up to 18 kittens in just one year.

Unneutered males are more likely to roam large areas looking for a mate, leaving them susceptible to car accidents and exposing them to diseases such as feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) and feline leukaemia virus (FeLV).

Ron added: "We are here to help, whether it be to give advice on cat welfare or to offer support with neutering, we just ask people to get in touch before situations get out of control."