THE RSPCA's campaign to stop animal cruelty shows signs of working, according to one of the charity's officers. Jackie Gorton, who covers the Medway area, said the number of calls about badly-treated animals has dropped dramatically in the past eight months.

Speaking at the charity's annual meeting on Tuesday, she said: "We are normally really busy at this time of year but we have been very quiet. Perhaps it is because our campaign is finally working and the message is actually getting across. People are seeing shows like Animal Hospital and realising it is pretty anti-social to abuse your pets."

But despite the optimism, the meeting at Greenacre School also highlighted a year which saw the RSPCA's West Kent branch investigate 2942 complaints, report 40 cases for possible prosecution and successfully convict 27 people of 77 offences. There are 11 cases ongoing into 2002.

Among the cases highlighted were the Legge family who were found to be keeping more than 100 animals, including tortoises, spiders, birds and a chipmunk in squalid conditions in a house in Church Terrace, Chatham. They included Linford, a dog, now being cared for at a new home in Ramsgate.

During the meeting Michele Carr, who runs the Parsons Memorial Clinic in Walderslade Road, Chatham, was praised for her good work in helping mistreated animals back to good health. She reported seeing more than 2000 animals. Among the animals the clinic treated were 91 rabbits, 83 cats and 71 guinea pigs. There were also pigeons, rats, snakes, foxes and ducks.