Stray and feral cat numbers 'becoming unmanageable'

Cat rescue charities have called for people to get their pets neutered both to prevent unwanted litters and improve their kittens' health.

One Greater Manchester charity said it was seeing a rise in stray and feral cat colonies.

Meanwhile Cats Protection said the numbers of cats being neutered across the United Kingdom had fallen in recent years.

Ashlea Franks, from Independent Cat Rescue Prestwich (ICRP) in Greater Manchester, said this had led to a "crisis" and warned the number of kittens was "becoming unmanageable".

ICRP was founded in 2019 by Franks and her mum.

They focus on looking after and rehoming feral and stray cats.

The charity also operates trap-neuter-return (TNR) programmes to keep feral cat populations under control.

Franks said TNR was the "most important thing".

She explained: "The UK is facing a severe cat crisis so we're easily dealing with hundreds of cats at a time, getting reports constantly, whether that could be 15 cats within 24 hours sometimes.

"These cats are living in really bad conditions - different places in Manchester - and we need to tackle that crisis.

"So by getting them neutered and spayed, we're reducing a further population from growing, which at the moment is becoming unmanageable."

Franks said they were seeing fewer people getting their cats neutered - and that there was an increase in cat colonies around the city region.

"We're seeing a lot of people who are struggling to afford it and we're seeing people who just probably need more education about why it's important," she said.

Franks said some of the benefits of neutering include preventing diseases and stopping cats roaming.

Larger charities are also seeing issues with unneutered cats.

Cats Protection said the number of cats neutered nationwide has fallen from 88% in 2020 to 82% last year.

The charity has taken in 1,850 kittens in the North West since 2023.

Emma Harris, deputy manager of the Warrington Cats Protection Centre, said her organisation was seeing a rise in the number of cats needing help.

"Pregnant mums coming in, coming in with litters, which puts a huge amount of pressure on rescue resources within centres, and seeing more cats with health issues because they haven't been neutered".

She said the cost of neutering and spaying was one reason why fewer cats were being neutered.

"But also people look at their female cats and say 'I'd love for them to have a litter' and I don't think people release that one female cat in a year, unneutered, can have up to 18 kittens a year. And if you multiply that, it can quickly get out of hand.

"People do say 'my cat won't be going outside' but the health benefits [of getting them neutered] completely outweigh those reasons".