THE NUMBER of stray pets has skyrocketed since the beginning of the year, according to local campaigners.

Scratching Post, a charity which feeds, treats and re-homes stray cats across Enfield and Hertfordshire, says the number of calls it receives about strays has risen by 40 per cent in a year.

And Enfield Dog Rescue, a small organisation funded by individuals, which rescues dogs and sends them to foster homes while owners are sought, said the number of calls it receives about abandoned Staffordshire Bull Terriers alone has risen by the same amount.

Both charities say people have started breeding their animals in the hope they can make money from the youth, only to find they often don’t sell.

Scratching Post founder Susan Delaney said that one of the biggest problems is that cats are not being neutered because people want to sell the kittens.

She said: “People heard the word recession on the news, opened the door and threw out their cat. It was bad last year but this year it has been horrendous. People are being evicted and moving house."

Cases where cats had been abused were up 25 per cent, she said some being stoned or having tails broken and many incidents of starvation.

The centre, which is funded mainly from a charity shop in Lancaster Road, Enfield, has a waiting list of about 300 cats while 150 cats, including 50 kittens, are housed at a centre Goff Oak.

Scratching Post now wants to expand and is hoping to raise the £200,000 it needs as a deposit to buy a new cat shelter.

Meanwhile Yasmina Mokhtari, who co-runs private organisation Enfield Dog Rescue, said that the number of calls she receives has risen from three a week to 30.

She said the majority of calls are about Staffordshire Bull terriers which are bred for youths for fighting and then abandoned.

Ms Mokhtari said: “They are bred indiscriminately by youths who expect to make a quick buck. Most are under two years old.”

According to the RSPCA, 57 per cent more animals were abandoned last year than in 2007.

To help or offer a good home to a cat visit www.scratchingpost.co.uk or call the helpline on 01992 624477, and for dogs email maryescully@blueyonder.co.uk