Local animal charity 'inundated' by kittens

A local animal shelter says they've been inundated with unwanted kittens this kitten season.

Richard Robinson from Grovehill Animal Trust in Sixmilecross, says they've cared for over 50 in the past few months.

The Shelter Co-ordinator is now urging local cat-owners to have their pets spayed or neutered.

Richard says greater awareness of cat health could help reduce the problem.

"Cats are looked at differently than dogs, and cat's health has been a bit behind as well," he told Q radio news.

"But that's starting to change with more cat charities offering more education on the matter and promoting cat health - so hopefully it will get better," he added.

Grovehill say they need as many volunteers as they can get, as they're purely a charitable organisation.

"People could help us in many ways," Richard explains.

"We're a volunteer-led organisation so if people on the ground want to help with the care of the animals they can do that. We also run a charity shop in Omagh, and of course donations help as well," he added.

"We're also looking for potential foster homes - the shelter isn't an ideal place for the kittens, because they're so young and it's actually quite high-risk for them to be here - so, ideally we like kittens to go into foster homes until they're able to be fully vaccinated and brought back to the shelter. It would be eight weeks in foster care, if anyone has the time and space to take care of some of the kittens that would be great," he concluded.