A cat rescue charity is calling on housing associations to do more to educate people about keeping pets safely, after it was called to rescue 33 cats from a single house.

Members of Yorkshire Cat Rescue, based in Keighley, were called to the house in Leeds Road, Bradford, to take away the cats, which are now in foster care or at re-homing centres.

The homeowner took in a female stray cat two years ago, which subsequently got pregnant after escaping, resulting in the large number of felines at the house.

Sam Davies, centre manager, said: “I have rarely seen this many cats living indoors in such a small space. It was quite simply phenomenal and a little unnerving too.

“But, the cats were well fed and most of them were friendly so this is not a case of animal cruelty; more a case of animal unawareness and things just getting out of control very quickly.

“Initially, we prioritised removing the cats that were pregnant plus some of the kittens. Later on, we came back for the remaining cats except for two which will now be neutered. These are definitely not cats that have ever been abused, and they are all showing their lovely adventurous characters. I am confident that they will all end up as much-loved family pets, and that makes it worth the effort.”

Some of the kittens rescued were suffering from serious eye infections which have had to be treated, and unfortunately resulted in one having to be put to sleep, one being left blind and another with permanent sight problems.

Sara Atkinson, who founded Yorkshire Cat Rescue, said housing associations need to give more assistance to tenants to help them keep their pets safely.

She said: “This is a classic case of someone trying to help an animal, but who ends up out of their depth due to a lack of resources and knowledge.

“This cat owner could have been facing eviction and the cats would most likely have been put to sleep. Instead, they have been saved and he can remain in his home with just a few, neutered pet cats, because the housing association took appropriate and compassionate action and engaged in a collaboration with a charity.

“Feeding homeless or stray cats without taking steps to ensure they don’t breed is false kindness. They always go on to produce unwanted litters of kittens and the problems ends up out of control. More information is needed to educate people about what it truly means to save a cat, and keep it happy and healthy. Housing associations can play a huge role in distributing neutering leaflets and putting up posters.”