The RSPCA's Faye Gibbons said the number of cats in need continued to rise [Clare Frisby/BBC] Animal rescue centres have said they are seeing rising numbers of cats being neglected, abused and abandoned. In March 2024, the RSPCA Halifax, Huddersfield and Bradford branch took 50 cats into its care, but in 2026 it accepted 80. The charity said there had been a record number of cats in national RSPCA centres, with about a third of them in emergency catteries.