THE owner of a cat rescue centre in Darwen is urging people to get their cats neutered to avoid the onset of unwanted animals.

Maureen Savage, of Moggies Cat Rescue, has offered to deal with the neutering and wants anyone who knows of a pregnant cat to contact her sooner rather than later.

She said: "We are coming up to kitten season so I am offering a service for people who have cats from five months and older, male or female, which need neutering. I am happy to sort it out for them.

"It prevents unwanted kittens and if people have a male cat it will stop him wandering off trying to find a female. They often wander off and don't always come home again. It also prevents feline Aids.

"People dump cats because they are having kittens. If there has been a cat hanging around and people notice it has put on weight, please don't wait until it has had kittens to contact me because they will become savage. Last year I had quite a few calls from people saying a cat had had kittens in their outside toilet or garden and they couldn't get near them because the mother teaches them to defend themselves at an early age."

Anyone with a pregnant cat, a cat that needs neutering or kittens that need to find a home should contact Maureen on 01254 708171.