Cat cruelty and neglect cases in Derbyshire top 400

Across the country, July and August were the peak months for reports of intentional harm.

Sam Watson, cat welfare expert at the RSPCA, said: “It’s awful to think cats are suffering deliberate cruelty and to know that an average of seven cats every single day are suffering at the hands of humans is really distressing. Cats are one of the most popular pets in the UK with an estimated 10.5 million pet cats in UK homes but sadly they are the second most abused pet - after dogs."

Among the 410 reports In Derbyshire was that of an elderly cat who animal rescuer Pamela Bird found barely breathing and lying in his own urine in a filthy carrier on a street in Derby last September. The flea-ridden cat had very few teeth and those that it did have were rotten.

Pamela rushed him to a nearby vets but the cat was in such a poor condition that a decision was made to put him to sleep to prevent him suffering further. She said: “This poor cat should have been surrounded by love and affection at the end of his life - and not dumped in a street and left alone to suffer.”

The RSPCA receives around 90,000 calls to its cruelty line every month and investigates 6,000 reports of deliberate animal cruelty, including animal fighting and hunting. But in the summer calls rise to 134,000 a month - three every minute and reports of cruelty soar to 7,600 each month - a heartbreaking 245 every day.

Workers in the charity are concerned that a recent boom in the kitten trade could see a rise in unscrupulous breeders putting profits before welfare and could spell further cruelty to cats.

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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.”