A kitten in a freezer bag was thrown over the wall of an animal rescue centre that said they are "struggling to live week to week" due to rising animal cruelty and the cost of living crisis.
The County Cat Indoor Only Rescue and Sanctuary in Walton opened its doors three years ago and due to mounting pressures surviving is becoming a challenge. Maria Miller a chemical engineer by trade said that the rescue is now at capacity and running up a £500 food bill every week.
On top of this Maria said more cats are being brought to the rescue by families who can't afford to feed them or by those who have discarded them completely to fend for themselves. Maria said she is tired of "picking up dead cats from the street".
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Speaking to the ECHO she said: "We have seen so many people just give cats away when their kids get bored with it. We have also seen an increase in people breeding cats and then just dumping them on our doorstep when they can't carry any more litter, they just don't care.
"It is just so upsetting people would discard animals like that and we don't have the funds to pick up the pieces of their throw-away lifestyle but we can't turn them away to live on the streets."
The sanctuary currently has 157 cats with 120 coming from within a half-mile radius of the property. Maria said she has seen a rise in animal cruelty in the last year.
She said: "We have had a kitten thrown over our wall in a zipped-up freezer bag that had no fur on her at all, she had to have her eye removed but survived. I once had five crammed into a tiny cat carrier all with cat flu with worms dropping out of their nose they were just on a wall in Bootle being left overnight.
"People don't have enough money for the vets not when they don't have enough money to feed themselves. We understand that things are getting more expensive."
Maria said that 80% of the cats brought in are unwell and need medical attention. However, she said that the rescue is now exploring new avenues to keep funds coming in, including a cat café.
Maria from West Derby said: "We live week to week as we can't afford to buy in bulk anymore. If prices carry on going up it is going to be hard.
"When operations come up it can get grim but a lot of rescues are in the same position. I dread to think what would happen if we close but I will never let it come to that."
If you would like to find out more information about The County Cat Indoor Only Rescue and Sanctuary more information can be found here.
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