RSPCA says shelters are full as cats arrive faster than they can be rehomed
The RSPCA has run out of room for cats and dogs in its shelters, warning that cats are arriving in its centres faster than they can be rehomed, according to The Guardian. Cats in its care now outnumber dogs.
In 2026 to date, the charity is taking in an average of 624 cats each month across its 14 national centres and private boarding establishments, a figure that excludes its independent local branch network. By October 2026, it had taken in 5,616 cats this year. That compares with 6,408 cats looked after in 2025 and 4,436 cats welcomed into its 14 centres in 2021.
When foster centres and independent branches are included, about 20,000 cats were taken into RSPCA care in 2025. The organisation expects the total for 2026 to be higher.
Large groups of cats at single properties are a major pressure. In 2025, the RSPCA responded to 1,780 incidents involving 10 or more cats at one address, covering more than 36,000 cats in total. That was a nearly 65% increase on the year before.
The RSPCA said it has faced capacity problems since 2025, partly because of a rise in multi-animal cases alongside rising cruelty and neglect. It now has more animals in its care than space in its centres and branches.
It asked people across England and Wales to consider adopting cats. It urged owners to neuter their cats.
Earlier figures show the scale of turnover behind the warning. Last year, RSPCA centres and branches rehomed more than 17,000 cats, according to the RSPCA. In North Yorkshire, centres were turning away cats for lack of space, the BBC reported last year.
