Sanctuary seeking homes for unlucky black cats

An animal rescue charity says it has been inundated with kittens this year and has several black cats which need homes.

Woodside Animal Welfare Trust said warm weather, combined with the number of people keeping unneutered pets since the Covid-19 lockdowns, had led to a surge in the number of orphaned cats.

Debbie Haynes, senior manager at the charity, said this year had been the worst ever for the number of kittens needing care. She said black cats, often rejected through superstition, were particularly difficult to rehome.

"Normally kitten season is April to September but it's October and we have young, baby kittens here, this should have stopped by now," she said.

All the orphaned kittens which arrive at the centre have to be bottle fed which the staff say requires a special commitment.

Kayleigh Heeson, animal care assistant, said: "The hand-rearing means getting up every two hours to feed the kitten and that is day and night".

Although the rush is now over, the charity says it still has lots of kittens, mainly black, and black and white ones, needing homes.

Ms Haynes said: "It's been the same over all the years I have been here, I don't know if it's superstition or what".

"You see the colourful and tabby ones in a litter go, and the black ones get left behind."

The Blue Cross animal charity said the superstition started due to "hysteria surrounding witches", but in some parts of the world "they are said to bring good fortune".

Follow BBC Devon on X, Facebook and Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected].