Brits considering buying cat food for a new pet may want to think about picking one up from a rescue centre, as the RSPCA is experiencing a "cat crisis".
The charity is struggling to cope with the number of cats and kittens being brought into its rescue centres.
Inspector Carol Neale said: "All of our animal centres are inundated with kittens and cats at the moment and there are, quite simply, not enough homes for them."
She added that the RSPCA is urging owners to have their cat neutered, as many kittens are abandoned because of unwanted litters.
"Neutering might seem like an unnecessary expense when times are hard but it's much cheaper and easier than caring for a litter of kittens," she said.
The RSPCA reports that it recently had four three-week-old kittens brought to them after they were found in a plastic carrier bag in Middleton.
Ms Neale praised the woman who found the kittens as she was syringe feeding them when the RSPCA arrived to pick them up.
