AN increasing number of pet cats are being abandoned outside a Poole vets as the economy bites.

Staff at Walton Lodge, in North Road, were already looking after two homeless cats when a ginger tom without a microchip was left on their doorstep.

He has since been re-homed, but veterinary nurse Naomi Forsdike, who found him in a pet carrier with no note, says the discovery highlights a growing problem as rehoming centres are fit to burst.

“We’re happy to try and re-home the cats but it would be better if people phoned up first,” she said.

“If the cat is old or poorly in any way it becomes very difficult to find homes for them. The rescue centres are full, with waiting lists of 80-100.

“It seems almost pointless putting them on the list because we don’t have room to keep them that long.”

With rescue centres in “dire straits”, people need to think really seriously about the financial cost when they get a pet, she said, and to get them neutered as soon as possible.

Black and white Keith and Ellie, a tortoiseshell, are still looking for new homes.

Call Walton Lodge on 01202 747678 to adopt them.