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Cat owners urged to neuter their pets, amid 'cat crisis'
Zodiac and her kittens were rescued by RSPCA after being found abandoned.
The appeal comes following an increase in cats at rescue centres.

A group of charities is calling for cat owners to neuter their pets, as rescue shelters experience a ‘cat crisis’.

The calls, made on World Spay Day (27 February), respond to an unprecedented increase in cats being brought into the care of rescue centres.

The appeal has been made by the Cat-Kind group, which includes charities such as RSPCA, Cats Protection, PDSA and Battersea. The charities have joined forces to encourage the public to neuter their cats, in an effort to tackle the overpopulation crisis.

Animal rescue charity RSPCA has reported that its centres are completely full, leading it to spend funds on private boarding facilities. It reported 260 cats stuck in private boarding facilities in January, and 168 cats in February.

In January alone, RSPCA paid £12,804 each week to keep the cats fed and housed in private boarding facilities across England and Wales.

Furthermore Cats Protection reported 3,350 cats in its care, which is a five per cent increase in the past year. This follows a 47 per cent year-on-year increase of kittens being born in its care in 2023.

RSPCA’s cat welfare experts say that it doesn't usually see these kind of numbers until ‘kitten season’, during the summer months, which has led to concerns about future population numbers.

While RSPCA says it has neutered 46,000 cats in the past ten years, statistics from Cats Protection and PDSA found that there are still 1.4 million unneutered owned cats.

A female cat is capable of giving birth to 18 kittens per year. Cats Protection therefore encourages cat owners to neuter their cats by the time they are four months old, before they are able to become pregnant.

Sarah Elliott, central veterinary officer for Cats Protection, said: “We’d urge owners to help by ensuring their cat is neutered by four months of age. Some animal welfare charities like Cats Protection offer financial support towards the cost of this for owners on a low income.

“Not only does neutering help reduce the unwanted cat population, it also means cats lead healthier, happier lives. This is because neutered cats are less likely to roam far from home or get into fights with other cats, both of which can increase their risk of injury or picking up illnesses.”

Image © Shutterstock

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Practices urged to audit neutering data

News Story 1
 RCVS Knowledge has called on vet practices to audit their post-operative neutering outcomes.

It follows the release of the 2024 NASAN benchmarking report, which collates data from neutering procedures performed on dogs, cats and rabbits.

The benchmarking report enables practices in the UK and Ireland to compare their post-operative outcomes to the national average. This includes the rate of patients lost to follow-up, which in 2024 increased to 23 per cent.

Anyone from the practice can submit the data using a free template. The deadline for next report is February 2026.

Visit the RCVS Knowledge website to complete an audit. 

Click here for more...
News Shorts
RCVS pays tribute to well-loved equine vet

The RCVS and the Riding Establishments Subcommittee has paid tribute to well-loved veterinary surgeon and riding establishment inspector, Rebecca Hamilton-Fletcher MRCVS.

Linda Belton MRCVS, RCVS President, said: "I, along with my colleagues on the RESC, RCVS Council, RCVS Standards Committee, as well as RCVS staff, was very saddened to hear of the sudden death of Rebecca, or Becca as we knew her, last week.

"She was a true advocate for equine welfare and in her many years on the RESC worked to continually improve the quality and consistency of riding establishment inspections, all in the interests of enhanced horse welfare and rider safety."