A whopping 300 cats have been neutered as part of a cross-charity effort to help tackle the cat overpopulation crisis in Sheffield.
Cat Smart is an RSPCA scheme which was set-up in the steel city to help tackle the problem of homeless and unwanted cats.
To mark World Spa Day (Tuesday 25 February) the charity teamed up once again with vet charity PDSA to host a neutering event at their Northern Road Branch in Arbourthorne and spayed 31 cats on Saturday, February 22.
This is the charity’s fourth neutering event which has seen 300 cats spayed or snipped since November 2017.
Carrie Stones, RSPCA’s Cat Neutering and Welfare Project Manager, said: “World Spay Day is an opportunity to raise awareness about the importance of neutering cats in order to tackle the cat overpopulation crisis. Every year for the last few years, the RSPCA has teamed up with the local PDSA to host free neutering events for cat owners in Sheffield.
“We are thrilled to meet the 300th cat mark since working together. This means we have prevented 3,240 unwanted kittens being born through events alone and over 18,000 through the Cat Smart scheme.
“Sadly, the UK is facing a cat crisis with so many cats being born every year which means that charities like ourselves are under a lot of strain in order to care for the thousands of cats in need of rescue. That is why ourselves and other charities are calling on owners to neuter their cats from four-months old before they can become pregnant. Research suggests that the majority of litters born are actually unplanned so we believe neutering from four months will prevent these unwanted kittens being born and mean less cats coming into rescue centres.”
Sheffield was chosen to pilot the Cat Smart project as the city was below the national average for neutered cats. The project works with members of the community in providing information and welfare advice about their cats and offering free or discounted neutering.
Robert Haselgrove, Senior Veterinary Surgeon at Sheffield PetAid Hospital said: “It’s been fantastic partnering up with the RSPCA with this project. We see first-hand the medical and social problems caused by un-neutered cats and this scheme provides a lot of support to the local community to overcome a lot of the hurdles clients face in getting their cats neutered.”
Overall, the Cat Smart scheme has neutered more than 1,800 cats. If you are a Sheffield cat owner and looking to get your cat neutered or microchipped, or need help and advice with your cat, you can contact Cat Smart Sheffield on Facebook.
