A CYBERPET is helping the RSPCA in its battle to prevent unwanted animals becoming neglected in East Lancashire at Christmas.

The organisation's website now plays host to an array of cuddly and demanding virtual animals which web-users can adopt.

But the pets are not just there to be looked after for an afternoon -- they need care for 90 days.

The RSPCA is using the cyberpets to show just how much care an animal requires in what they hope will bring about a downturn in the numbers of animals which are heartlessly abandoned.

Last year the society was inundated with pets that were dumped or left to fend for themselves while their owners went away.

In last year's festive fortnight the RSPCA received more than 39,000 calls. This included 761 calls regarding abandoned animals and 173 relating to unwanted pets.

Cases included a litter of seven puppies dumped in two holdalls in a hospital stairwell, four kittens left to freeze to death in a bin liner and a two-month old kitten thrown from a moving car.

Heather Holmes, spokesman for the RSPCA in East Lancashire, said: "The idea with the cyberpet is to give children an indication of the practical difficulties that looking after a pet involves.

"It shows the kind of time that you need to invest in a cat or a dog and to show them, without a real live animal having to suffer, what happens when you care for your pets inefficiently. These issues are particularly poignant at this time of year. We find that people want to enjoy the festive period rather than look after their difficult pet.

"They would rather abandon it than pay for veterinary treatment or pay the cash to put them in a cattery or kennel."

Heather said that the RSPCA believed animals should not be given as presents at all, unless the recipient was aware that they were getting a pet and were prepared to look after it.

On the website, prospective owners can design their own pet, choose the colour, eyes, ears and name.

All pets can go outside, play ball and eat their dinner and their owners are responsible for activities such as grooming, feeding, playing and organising a stay in the cyberpettery if they are unable to log on for a few days.

Each cyberpet has a different background, so owners may be taking on an old animal, or a pet that is unwell and needs help getting back to health.

The cyberpets will not die if they are not looked after but if the RSPCA is worried that a pet is being mistreated or suffering, it may have to come and take the animal away. To play, log on to www.rspca.org.uk/cyberpet.

You will need the Shockwave plug-in fully installed on your computer.