A Chester-le-Street animal centre has joined a national drive to help find loving homes for pets in care.

RSPCA Felledge Animal Centre is one of the many charities supporting Adoptober - a special drive to find homes for pets in care.

As part of Adoptober, the RSPCA has teamed up with official vet partner Inspiring Vet Care to try and rehome as many animals as possible.

RSPCA staff are facing mounting pressures to care for an ever-growing number of felines, on top of finding enough space for other animals in need.

At RSPCA Felledge Animal Centre, staff have already taken in 129 cats this year alone.

Luka Atkinson, RSPCA Felledge Animal Centre deputy manager, said: “We’ve seen a huge influx of cats and kittens at Felledge.

“Sadly, it just isn’t slowing down, and it’s having a massive impact not just on us in County Durham but across England and Wales.

“So far this year, we’re taking in an average of 13 cats each month, and we’re running out of space.

“It is usually one in one out too, with other cats in need going to our dedicated fosterers and emergency boarding.”

Luka continued: “There are simply more cats and kittens coming into our care than we have the space for.

“We’re desperate for adopters and fosterers to come forward to help free up space in our centres.

“This means we can help more cats rescued from cruelty and neglect, but also a cattery is not the ideal environment for cats and kittens and they can find it stressful, so getting them into a loving home as soon as we can is so much better for their overall welfare.”

Richard Hooker, country medical director for Inspiring Vet Care, said: “The number of unwanted and stray cats has reached unprecedented levels, making it even more important to ensure cats are neutered to prevent unwanted litters of kittens putting even more pressure on charities.

“One misconception many people have is that they need to wait until their kitten is six months old before they are neutered.

“However, many cats begin going outside before that point and become pregnant or father litters.

“Neutering can actually be done earlier than many people might assume, based on weight rather than age, and we recommend neutering before any kitten begins exploring the outside world.”