Animal charity reveals horrifying cruelty to cats in Bedfordshire - with 178 reports made to the RSPCA

A staggering 178 reports of cruelty to cats in Bedfordshire was reported to the animal charity RSPCA last year.

The RSPCA has released new figures which reveal seven cats a day suffer at the hands of humans – and this is expected to increase during the summer months.

Overall, there were 17,804 complaints made to the charity regarding cats in 2021 from abandonments, poisonings, mutilations, shootings, beatings and neglect.

Over the last six years (2016-2021), there were 16,212 incidents of deliberate cruelty towards cats reported to the animal welfare charity. In 2021 alone, there were 1,387 reports of intentional harm to cats.

The RSPCA also fears that new figures showing a recent boom in the kitten trade could see a rise in unscrupulous breeders putting profits before welfare.

In the last five years, there were 825 reports made to Trading Standards across England and Wales involving kitten related complaints – a rise of 185% compared to 2017 figures.

David Bowles, Head of Public Affairs at the RSPCA, said: “The demand for pets soared during the pandemic meaning backstreet kitten breeders have been able to make more money out of flogging pets online. We normally see a rise in kittens being sold at this time of year and coupled with the cost of living crisis, sadly we could see a boom in the kitten trade this year as a result. If you are considering buying a kitten, we would urge people to use the Kitten Checklist.”

To help prevent suffering the RSPCA has launched its Cancel Out Cruelty campaign.