The Derry-based Rainbow Rehoming Centre has made an impassioned plea to cat owners to prevent their pets having litters as it is struggling to cope with a growing number of unwanted kittens.
Otto, a stray cat at the Rainbow Rehoming Centre.
The Centre, which rescues and rehomes over 1,000 abandoned and unwanted cats and dogs every year, says it is being inundated with calls about kittens needing re-homed.
As a result, the Centre has appealed to pet owners to prevent their cats from having kittens, warning if they didn’t they faced the possibility of having 33 unwanted kittens on their hands in a 12 month period.
A Centre spokesperson said: “We are being inundated with calls about kittens needing re-homed. Why are people not neutering their cat or a cat they have been feeding for a while?
“If you are the owner of a cat that is not neutered please neuter now – do not allow it to have kittens.
“Rescue centres are struggling with the numbers of unwanted kittens and cats.”
The urged pet owners to note the following points:
:: Kittens CAN breed at six months old
:: They CAN have on average four kittens per litter! BUT can have up to 11 in one litter
:: They CAN have three litter per year
:: They CAN get pregnant whilst feeding new born kittens
:: Male and female litter mates WILL breed with each other
:: A mother will breed with her son
:: If your cat does have kittens… when rehoming the kittens offer advice to the new owner to have their new kitten neutered before six months old OR it too will have kittens
:: If you have chosen to feed a stray cat please choose to have it neutered. ALWAYS assume the cat is a female and that it will have kittens
:: Do not expect centre such as the Rainbow Centre to take the kittens in as it has limited space and funds
:: Every kitten that comes into the centre COSTS THE CENTRE £55 before it is even fed
:: If the cat your feeding is wild/feral, contact the Centre as they have a trap/neuter and release scheme which to date this year has trapped/neutered and released over 350 cats.
The spokesperson added: “We have rescued from those wild/feral cats 42 kittens under the age of seven weeks old!
“Since this scheme first started we have neutered approx 4,000 cats.”
The spokesperson concluded: “For those on benefits Cats Protection have a £5 neutering scheme at EVERY vet in Northern Ireland… please contact your local vets for details.”
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