Urgent appeal from Oxfordshire Animal Sanctuary amid kitten crisis

Oxfordshire Animal Sanctuary has reported a dramatic rise in kitten-related enquiries over the past two years, with many cases linked to stray or abandoned cats giving birth in gardens and areas with no known owners.

A spokesperson for the sanctuary said: "This situation is happening on a massive scale and rescues like ours are struggling to cope with the financial aspect but also the lack of capacity to admit them quickly.

"We currently have over 70 cats on our waiting list and many are pregnant or have a litter of kittens already."

READ MORE: Late Oxfordshire film director of ITV Up series remembered in new episode

The charity says there is a kitten crisis. (Image: Oxfordshire Animal Sanctuary)

"We have quadrupled our foster network in the past two year to attempt to cope with the volume but the enquiries keep coming in."

One recent case involved a home with 25 cats, all descended from a single unneutered female just two years earlier.

The spokesperson said: "The owner of the original female could have paid just £100 to get her neutered or could have got a neutering voucher from the RSPCA or Cats Protection and this could've been avoided."

The charity says there is a kitten crisis. (Image: Oxfordshire Animal Sanctuary)

Neutering all 25 has cost a range of charities several thousand pounds.

The sanctuary is urging cat owners to take responsibility to prevent similar situations.

The spokesperson said: "The message has to be this. Neuter your cats - if you got a cat and cannot afford to pay for them to be neutered, contact Cats Protection and RSPCA for help. You shouldn't blame vet fees. You shouldn't have got the cat if you can't afford their basic care costs, like neutering and vaccinations."