A charity is seeking volunteers to help re-home pets amid a boom in interest in kittens during the pandemic.

Cats Protection's Mid Kent Branch in Maidstone is looking for a cat adoption team leader and welfare assistant to join their team finding new families for unwanted and abandoned felines.

Their search for new volunteers comes as the RSPCA has revealed it has dealt with more than 1,300 incidents involving cats in Kent this year.

Interest in buying kittens has soared during the Covid crisis, with more people wanting a furry companion at home, but there are concerns many people do not realise the commitment involved in looking after a pet.

Alice Potter, the RSPCA's cat welfare expert, said: "It's fantastic that so many people are interested in bringing a cat into their home this year. However, with such high increases in people searching for kittens online, it’s important that prospective owners are doing their research and not buying a kitten on impulse.

"This means making sure they have the time, money and resources to care for a cat for the rest of their lives, but also ensuring that if buying a kitten they are buying a healthy and happy kitten from a responsible breeder.

"It's true that we see much higher cases of puppy farms than unscrupulous kitten breeders but it does happen which is why it's so important to do your research and make sure you’re buying from a reputable seller."

"It’s also a great way to make new friends and learn more about cats..."

Cats Protection helps pair pets with their purr-fect new home, and recruiting new volunteers will help them to support more cats in need.

The Maidstone branch is currently running a Hands-Free Homing scheme so cats can still be adopted within Covid-19 restrictions.

Branch development manager Christine Harvey said: "The roles are incredibly varied and so the perfect people would have great people skills as well as a love of cats and bags of enthusiasm.

"We are sure whoever takes on the roles will find them incredibly rewarding. It’s also a great way to make new friends and learn more about cats."

The RSPCA has dealt with more than 45,000 incidents relating to cats nationwide this year and is encouraging people to adopt a rescue cat instead of buying a pet.

If you are interested in becoming a volunteer for Cats Protection’s Mid Kent Branch then please email bsusouth@cats.org.uk or call 01825 741 995

Read more: All the latest news from Maidstone