Britain is in the midst of an unexpected cat breeding boom, with more than a million felines unneutered.
The RSPCA has warned this might lead to hoards of cats roaming the streets, with cat welfare organisations urging owners to get their cats sprayed as neutering levels fall to the lowest in nine years.
It’s thought the pandemic has mostly been to blame, which spurred demand for pets and caused longer waiting lists for neutering.
Charities think this could lead to a “cat breeding explosion”.
There are 10 million cats in the UK, according to the RSPCA, and around 91 per cent are neutered every year - a figure which fell to 86 per cent in 2020.
RSPCA’s cat welfare expert, Samantha Watson, said: “Although the decrease in neutering is fairly small, this equates to a lot of unneutered cats meaning that we could have a cat breeding explosion on our hands should these figures decline again.
“Since 2012, the neutering figures haven’t dipped below 90 per cent so it was really concerning to see so many cats not being neutered during the pandemic.
“One of the little known knock-on effects of the lockdown is that there were waiting lists for routine procedures such as neutering due to the impact of the lockdowns on veterinary practices and this may have resulted in a high number of unwanted litters being born which will mean more pressure on rescue charities like ourselves.
“We would urge owners to please get their cats neutered from four months old before they can get pregnant.”
Last year, the RSPCA took in more than 4,000 cats, which were found in boxes, abandoned pet carriers or even thrown in bins.
With vets still overrun, plenty of owners will have to wait longer to get their cats neutered.
Speaking to Metro, a Cats Protection spokesperson urged owners to keep them indoors, with plenty to entertain them - such as toys and scratching posts - until they can be snipped or spayed.
She adds that owners should keep a male and female pair apart, even if they’re from the same litter, to avoid unwanted pregnancies.
