Staff at the RSPCA said they were verbally abused by an ‘aggressive’ person who abandoned their pets in Coventry. Kittens had been dumped at the RSPCA Coventry and District Branch on Coundon Wedge Drive.
Cats, which had been named Kiji and Jiji, were dropped off at the Allesley facility in a cardboard box on Monday (October 27). But the individual who abandoned them was said to have been acting ‘abusively.’
Abandoning pets is illegal in the UK under the Animal Welfare Act 2006. Owners can be fined up to £40,000 or sentenced to one year in jail.
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Manager Lorraine Bryan said she and her staff were abused on a daily basis by people offloading unwanted animals as the cattery is being refurbished. Extra pets cannot be accommodated until the revamp is complete in December.
A spokesman for the RSPCA said: “Kittens Kiji and Jiji are currently being looked after by one of our amazing fosterers and are doing well! We understand that times are challenging.
“While we uphold the values of the national RSPCA, they do not fund the RSPCA Coventry and District Branch. We fund that through adoptions, grants and retail, plus fundraising. It costs us around £540,000 a year to operate, and this is all audited by the Charity Commission.
“We only have a licence to rescue, rehabilitate and rehome cats and dogs for the general public within Coventry, Rugby, Solihull and Nuneaton. We have space for up to 80 cats and up to 45 dogs, alongside our expanding and amazing foster network, who foster 60 animals between them, but there are so many more cats and dogs that need help within our region.
“We are not alone in this challenge. Animal charities across our region are all trying to help as many animals as possible with limited funds. We might need to make things work in different ways or timeframes, and we can only do that well when you work with us.”
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