AN animal home in Wethersfield is appealing to people not to dump their unwanted animals at the centre.

Earlier this month two six-month-old tabby and white kittens were left crammed into a canvas backpack outside RSPCA Danaher Animal Home on Hedingham Road, and eight chickens were dumped in a cardboard box.

Deputy manager at the centre, Deborah Satchell, said: “As we are the only RSPCA centre in Essex we often have to prioritise the neglect and cruelty cases which leave us little room to be able to help with general re-homing enquiries.

“Abandoning animals is a prosecutable offence and we fully discourage this.

“The best thing to do if you have an unwanted pet is to call round other charities and get popped on the waiting list and also to be patient.”

Ms Satchell said that it was a “society-wide” issue, adding that “kitten season is renowned for being busy but this year has been worse than normal”.

“We take countless calls about rehoming every day and the staff have all had to take cats/kittens home so that we are able to make more space,” said Ms Satchell.

“It’s not that we won’t or don’t want to help, it’s that we physically cannot help at this moment in time.”

RSPCA Danaher has capacity for 84 dogs, 48 cats and 10 rabbits plus numerous small, furry animals like guinea pigs and hamsters.

The centre has a number of fund-raising events planned for this year, including a ‘Spooky Sunday’ on Sunday October 27 for Halloween and the annual Christmas ‘Toys and Treats’ day on Saturday December 7 where all the animals get a stocking hung on their kennels.

For further details about Danaher Animal Home, visit the organisation’s website, rspcaessex.org.uk