AN animal charity took in nearly 80 cats across Cumbria following calls to their national cruelty line last year, it has been revealed.

The shocking statistic has been revealed by the RSPCA, which has launched a month-long rehoming drive - aptly named Adoptober - to encourage cat-lovers to provide a forever home.

Last year, inspectors from the charity rescued the equivalent of more than 60 cats per day nationwide - or 22,000 across the whole year.

The figure is more than any other animal nationally and is four times the number of dogs - which totalled 5,930 in 2018.

Cat welfare expert Alice Potter said: “Sadly we do know that cats are an extremely misunderstood pet and can often find themselves the victims of poor care.

“Our inspectorate is getting calls every day from worried members of the public reporting the cruelty of these animals - and the number of cats we are rescuing is equivalent to 60 per day which is far too high.

“Cats can become victims of air gun attacks as well as poisonings both accidental and deliberate, just like dogs they can also become victims of over breeding and over population.

“We know that the answer to a lot of the problems relating to cats in this country is raising the rates of neutering which in turn will lead to fewer unwanted animals coming into our centres and branches.

“We are calling for cat owners to neuter their cats at about four months old, rather than six months, which can greatly reduce the risk of them getting pregnant and owners being stuck with an unwanted litter.

“If you are thinking of taking on an animal we would always urge people to look into adopting a rescue pet, as our centres are full of loving cats of all shapes and sizes looking for forever homes.”

Among those in the county in need of a loving owner are Darcy.

The seven-year-old domestic shorthair cross is based at the RSPCA’s Westmorland branch in Kendal.

Darcy was rescued by an inspector in June and has been patiently waiting for a new home since.

Staff at the branch believe Darcy would be a good fit for most families and would be happy living with children and even a friendly dog.

Also looking for a new home is Princess, a five-year-old domestic shorthair cross.

She was rescued by an RSPCA inspector along with three other cats, and is currently being cared for by Kendal staff.

They believe Princess would be best in a new home as the only cat.

Last year, a total of 222 cats were rehomed in Cumbria.

To offer a new home, visit: www.rspca.org.uk/findapet.