A cat charity is warning of a likely boom in kittens being born in the wild during the coronavirus pandemic.

Mary Knott, from Cats in Crisis Thanet, says strays have been left to breed uncontrollably in the prime season as vets deal with only emergency admissions.

Typically volunteers from the charity will trap strays and get them neutered at clinics to reduce the number of cats giving birth to feral litters in unexpected places.

But this is not happening due to services being put on hold during the lockdown, although the charity already has four pregnant felines being cared for by volunteers.

Ms Knott said: “We’re usually doing a huge amount of neutering of stray and feral cats at this time, which is the cat breeding season.

“We’re not able to do this for the foreseeable future and the worry is lots of kittens being born in places which puts them at harm, or might cause animal lovers great distress and, for other people, a nuisance.

“They’ll start rooting through bins, which is unhygienic, and spread diseases.

“In Ramsgate, near to the viaduct, there have been cats breeding there going back years because it is secluded.

“This type of interbreeding causes huge problems and it puts the cats at risk."

Ms Knott says cats carrying diseases such as feline aids and feline leukaemia can transmit it during breeding.

She says another knock-on effect of cats not being neutered is toms being aggressive and fighting.

“You get these tom cats full of testosterone looking for a female and they have these awful fights,” she said.

“There’s three at the moment we want to get to. One has a horrible wound on his head from fighting, which has turned into an abscess.

“They also spray in people’s gardens which in unhygienic and smells, and they might become a nuisance with their calling and fighting.

“This is an unpleasant and unhealthy situation.

“We have no indication of what we can do to help - or when. All we can do is urge people to be as patient as possible.”

She says it also highlights how important it is for people to get their cats spayed or neutered and microchipped when they are about six months old.

“If people did this is it would hugely help the situation and we’re asking that if you have a cat to get this done when you can,” she said.

Anyone with concerns about a cat can call the charity on 07796 633306 or email cic.thanet@gmail.com.

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