‘We really need help’: RSPCA faces capacity crisis as cats arrive faster than they can be rehomed

The RSPCA reports a capacity crisis in its shelters, with cats arriving faster than staff can find homes for them. Abandoned cats now outnumber dogs in the charity's centres across England and Wales.

About 20,000 cats entered RSPCA care last year, an increase the charity attributes in part to pet hoarders. The organization says kittens are increasingly being found abandoned in dangerous conditions.

The RSPCA is urging people to adopt cats and asking pet owners to neuter their animals as kittens to reduce the number arriving at shelters. A spokesperson told the Guardian: "We really need help."

The charity is asking the public across England and Wales to consider adoption as a way to relieve pressure on its centres.