AN animal charity is urging pet-lovers to neuter their cats and help control the spiralling cat population.

Immediate homes are also needed as the RSPCA's Altham shelter is packed to capacity with a waiting list of more than 200 cats waiting to come in.

Honorary branch chairman Mildred Mallalieu said the shelter was licensed to house 40 cats and had been full for as long as anyone could remember.

She said: "As soon as a space becomes available, there are more than 200 cats waiting that the owners no longer want. We also have to find space as a priority for injured cats and cats taken out of cruel homes by RSPCA inspectors.

"We are doing all we can to find them homes, but the problem goes much deeper."

Cats are more popular than dogs and there are now eight million pet cats in Britain. An unneutered female can have up to 18 kittens every year and the RSPCA is asking everyone to make sure their own pets are neutered and microchipped.

All RSPCA cats are neutered before being rehomed. Vouchers are given towards the cost of the operation to help pet-owners on benefits and neutering programmes are regularly run on housing estates in the area.

Mrs Mallalieu said: "We do what we can, but it all costs money and we simply don't have enough money to make much of an impact on the cat problem."

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.