Cat rescue centres are to receive a cash boost following a month-long campaign by specialist insurer Agria Pet Insurance.
A recent survey by Agria revealed some uncomfortable statistics, including the fact that 80% of cats were not adopted due to their age, appearance or disability.
A third of cat rescues surveyed said they were already full, with two thirds reporting a significant increase in cats being surrendered to them over the past year – up to 50% more than normal.
More than 70% of rescues admitted they were worried about the number of cats set to arrive in their care as lockdown continues to ease.
Tom Vaughan, head of marketing at Agria Pet Insurance, said: “The increasing pressure on cat rescues in the UK has been apparent for some time and with the pandemic amplifying this significantly, many are really struggling.
“We work with hundreds of rehoming organisations and see the issues in rescues first-hand. Just this week, one of our partners has had to close.
Agria is hoping to help with its CatWalk campaign, which runs throughout May.
The company is running a photo competition on its Facebook page with four winners set to secure a £1,000 donation to the UK cat rescue of their choice. They will also win a luxury cat hamper from Love Louie and a year of modelling opportunities for their cat with Agria. A total of 12 runners-up will each win a £500 donation to the UK cat rescue of their choice plus a cat hamper.
Each new cat policy taken out during May will also result in a donation to UK cat rescues, with owners benefitting from a £50 voucher to spend at their vet, plus their first month of insurance free.
