MORE than 8,000 calls were made in Wales to the RSPCA last year over concerns for the welfare of cats.

A total of 322 calls were made from the Denbighshire area and 332 from Conwy. In Gwynedd, 245 calls were received and 215 from the Isle of Anglesey.

A total of 8,098 calls were received by the animal welfare charity overall. In Wales, Cardiff, Swansea and Rhondda Cynon Taff received the most calls.

The RSPCA released the figures to tie in with International Cat Day on August 8.

Alice Potter, RSPCA’s cat welfare expert, said: "It’s sad to see that we have received so many calls about cats in need.

"Cats end up needing our help for a variety of reasons, for example their natural curiosity can mean they need rescuing when they get into scrapes and tricky situations. There are also some real issues that we see time and again including cats and kittens being abandoned, cats having unplanned and unwanted pregnancies due to a lack of neutering and multi-cat households where breeding has sadly become out of control.

"However, there are many cats who are much luckier and are very much a part of the family and loved by their owners who understand their likes and dislikes, their little quirks and routines.

"Every cat is an individual but there are some signs we can look out for to see how our cats are feeling through understanding their body language and behaviour to ensure they are happy and healthy."

As well as there being 8,098 calls from Wales in regards to cat welfare, in 2018 - RSPCA officers rescued 1,514 cats

RSPCA Bryn-Y-Maen Animal Centre in Upper Colwyn Bay has 27 cats looking for homes.

One of them is little Hector, a black and white three-year-old.

To arrange to meet Hector contact the centre on 0300 123 0745 - which is open 11am to 4pm except Wednesdays.