Cats attacked by air guns and poisonings both accidental and deliberate - these are just some of the calls to the RSPCA's national cruelty line each year.

The charity rescued more cats than any other animal last year - including 1,067 in West Yorkshire - as a result of these calls.

Now, in the spirit of Adoptober, volunteers are calling on the public to be more understanding of the creature's needs with around 60 cats rescued each day.

It's a figure that welfare expert Alice Potter says is far too high.

She said: "We know that the answer to a lot of the problems relating to cats in this country is raising the rates of neutering. If you are thinking of taking on an animal we would always urge people to look into adopting a rescue pet, as our centres are full of loving cats looking for forever homes."