496 cat incidents in Northamptonshire: RSPCA urges public to do their research as the UK sees a boom in kitten buying

The RSPCA reported 496 cat incidents in Northamptonshire this year. This follows after July saw Google searches for ‘Kittens near me’ increase sixfold compared to July last year. This amounts to a 667 per cent increase from 2019 to 2020.

These figures have sparked concerns that a boom in kitten buying could lead to more cats coming into rescue centres and needing new homes.

Many people have found themselves with more time on their hands during lockdown so it is unsurprising that many have sought a pet to keep them company. In April, there were 17,000 Google searches for kittens compared to 23,000 searches in July. This amounts to a 188 per cent increase in total.

In light of these findings, the RSPCA is urging anyone, who is thinking of getting a pet, to consider whether they can care for them in the long-term - and not just for a pandemic.

Alice Potter, the RSPCA’s cat welfare expert, said: “It’s fantastic that so many people are interested in bringing a cat into their home this year. However, with such high increases in people searching for kittens online, it’s important that prospective owners are doing their research and not buying a kitten on impulse.

“This means making sure they have the time, money and resources to care for a cat for the rest of their lives, but also ensuring that if buying a kitten they are buying a healthy and happy kitten from a responsible breeder.”

The RSPCA sees many cases of cats coming into care without the correct vaccinations or the care or attention they needed. The results have been devastating for the cats and the new owners, who have to provide the time and cost it takes to look after their sick pets.

In response to these incidents, the RSPCA collaborated with other cat charities to create ‘The Kitten Checklist’, which provides vital information and peace of mind to people hoping to adopt kittens. This includes ensuring that they see the kitten with their mother and siblings in the location that they were bred.

Since the start of 2020, the RSPCA has dealt with more than 45,000 incidents relating to cats, meaning that there are a lot of cats in their care looking for homes. The RSPCA always encourages people to adopt rescue cats.

During lockdown, there has been a 114 per cent increase in the amount of people searching for cats to adopt on the RSPCA’s ‘Find a Pet’ page compared to last year (2019).

Ms Potter added: “It’s great to see so many people are looking to adopt a rescue cat with more than a million people visiting our cat Find a Pet page during the pandemic.

“We are braced for a kitten season boom next year as routine neutering procedures had to be put on hold during the lockdown. This means that whilst the UK is already facing a cat overpopulation crisis, we may now see even more unplanned litters of kittens. If you’ve got a kitten during lockdown, it’s so important to get them booked into your vets for a spay or a snip.”

Kittens can get pregnant from just four-months-old and there may be a longer wait than usual at some vet practises due to the pandemic so the RSCPA is urging kitten owners to get their pets booked in early for neutering.

Ms Potter said: “We believe neutering from four-months-old can help tackle the overpopulation crisis and ensure we don’t see more unwanted litters being born and putting extra strain on rescue centres like the RSPCA.”

The RSPCA rehomed 24,095 cats last year - that is one cat rehomed every 20 minutes across England and Wales. Of this, 420 cats were rehomed in Northamptonshire in 2019.

Five-year-old Mayo is just one of many cats, who are currently waiting to be adopted at the RSPCA Northamptonshire branch.

He is a ginger and white domestic shorthair cat, who came into care from a multi-cat house and is looking for a quiet home where all children are aged over 12. He could live with another cat after slow introductions.

For more information about Mayo, visit his Find a Pet profile on the RSPCA’s website.

Under the current Covid rehoming protocols, anyone interested in fostering or adopting an animal from the RSCPA should visit their website to see which animals are available near you and you should check your local centre for the current process applicable in that area.