WITH the country deep in the grip of a recession, one often overlooked side-effect is the rise in pet homelessness.

Volunteers at Chestnut Cat Sanctuary, in Thornwood High Road, near Epping, have seen record numbers of animals dumped on their doorstep with some people even leaving their cats in the car park.

Manager Jackie De Friez said: “We've had a tough year with more demand for cat space. People aren't just losing their jobs, they're losing their home, their partner, everything.

“People are thinking of themselves more than their cats. They're not going to pay to have their cats neutered, they're not going to pay to look after them.

“The demand we've got for space is twice as much as last year, and the number of cats we're homing is at least a third down.”

Chestnut Cat Sanctuary is run entirely as a voluntary charity and deals with up to 45 cats and 20 kittens at any one time.

It also operates a fostering system with people in the community looking after cats on a temporary basis.

Jackie said: “It costs a fortune to run the place. We're not going to close tomorrow or anything like that but we need to survive and we need to do better than we are now.”

The worst impact of the recession on the sanctuary has been an increase in people abandoning their unwanted cats.

“If people turn up on the door it's a nightmare,” said Jackie. “We've had people empty cats in our car park. They just let them loose thinking we'll find their cat. People have no concept at all.

“I had four calls in one day from people going on holiday. They got their cat from a bloke down the pub or a pet shop or whatever. They don't want to pay for boarding, the cat isn't vaccinated or neutered and they just want rid of it. When you say 'can't you pay for boarding while you're on holiday?' they go ' no that would cut into my holiday spending money.'”

Jackie is keen to emphasise the benefits of adopting a cat from the sanctuary adding: “You've got the cat vaccinated, neutered, vet checked, microchipped.

“The people here don't get paid- they're here for the cats. You go up the road and someone's selling kittens at their house, they're doing it to make money. It's a benefit to the community and to society if they support a charity.”

As well as potential new owners, the sanctuary is also keen for people to come forward to act as fund-raisers.

If you can help in any way call the sanctuary on 01992 560 510.