Kingsdown Cat Sanctuary is bursting at the seams after a sudden influx of 11 cats found just two days apart.

Clare Baumberg who runs the sanctuary in Claremont Road, is calling for potential owners to come forward to help make room for the new felines. She also needs big hearted sponsors to pledge the funds to pay for a cat’s vet fees and food until it is ready to be rehomed.

“They are terrified and are nowhere near ready to leave.”

The first discovery was of eight five-month-old cats by a man and his family who were on a bike ride by Cinque Ports Golf Club on Wednesday.

“He saw seven of them in a field. They were all paralysed with fear.

"They were all paralysed with fear," Clare Baumberg, Kingsdown Cat Sanctuary

“He rang me and I thought they were kittens. My friend Jan went to collect what she thought was kittens, but they were larger. They were so paralysed that they didn’t fight, she just put them in her car.”

The six black and white and two pure black cats were taken to Animal House vets in London Road where they housed them for the night until Mrs Baumberg made space at the sanctuary.

“Then on Thursday afternoon someone was down in Coldblow Woods walking his dogs. He found four more, also fully grown, and again absolutely terrified because there was a combine harvester there as well. We brought three back because one ran across the field.

Two were so scared they dug a hole in the verge.”

Mrs Baumberg said such a sudden influx is very unusual.

“Someone must know what’s happened. They are not starving. They’re in good condition, someone has obviously bred them and couldn’t get rid of them and they have panicked.

“Now we will have to do what we always do, spay or neuter them, have their blood tests done and get them chipped.

“I’m leaving it a week before I do any of that because they are so scared.

“Yes we would like people to come and re-home a cat, or sponsor the care of one of the new cats, but what we want more than anything is for the message to get across that people should not dump cats and they should make sure they are spayed or neutered.”

Kingsdown Cat Sanctuary is appealing for people to offer homes to a deserving cat. Please telephone first to make an appointment. If you would like to sponsor the care of one of the cats discovered at Cinque Ports and at Coldblow Woods, and then become its owner, please call 01304 363071.