AN ANIMAL charity has had more than 60 welfare calls about cats during lockdown in Dorset.

The RSPCA has received 68 reports about cats in Dorset since lockdown, and the charity fears that the situation could get worse as kitten season gets underway.

The RSPCA is facing a cat crisis as the charity cares for more cats than any other pet with more than 1,000 felines currently in its care.

Since lockdown, the charity has taken 324 cats into its care, more than any other pet, and fears that the situation is set to get worse.

The charity explained that at this time of year, there is always an influx of young cats but lockdown means that it is harder for owners to neuter their pets and the charity’s experts fear they will see even more unwanted litters coming through its doors.

Since the start of lockdown, there have been 6,630 incidents reported to the charity’s hotline about cats with 68 incidents reported in Dorset.

Dr Samantha Gaines, head of the RSPCA’s companion animal department, said: “We are currently caring for more cats than any other pet throughout the Coronavirus crisis.

"Every year, the scale of the cat overpopulation problem becomes even more apparent from May to September when most cats are born as the RSPCA is often overwhelmed with kittens.

"The kitten season this year will continue despite COVID-19 and so the charity is bracing itself for even more cats.”

The charity is currently caring for 1,013 cats (as of 13 May) which is more than any other pet in its care.

Last year, there were 108,190 incidents reported about cats with 1,096 in Dorset.

Sam added: “Our frontline officers will continue to rescue as many cats as we can and our animal centre staff, hospitals and branches will carry on caring for the many cats coming into our care throughout the crisis.

"We rely on donations from our generous supporters to carry out this vital work and need their support now more than ever as our services become stretched to the limit.

“We believe neutering cats from four months old will help tackle the cat overpopulation problem the UK faces.

"This will reduce the amount of unwanted and unexpected litters of kittens that are born and sadly end up in rescue centres.

"We understand that many owners may not be able to get their pets neutered at the moment as understandably vets are prioritising emergencies in the face of Covid-19 and restricting other procedures."