A mischievous kitten that needed to be saved three times in one day is among more than 1,900 animal rescues carried out in Norfolk by the RSPCA during lockdown.
The charity has revealed it has dealt with 106,676 incidents between March 24 and August 5 - an average of 790 callouts a day.
Of those incidents, officers have responded to 1,916 in Norfolk during the same period - an average of 14 a day.
Three of the incidents were caused by a kitten called Lohse who made a home in three vehicles, including an RSPCA van.Another feline called Rodney was rescued on July 22 after getting stuck in a glue trap on a farm.
The ginger kitten was rescued by an RSPCA inspector and rushed to a vet in Norwich who set out to remove glue from all of his fur.
Inspector Emily Astillberry is now looking after the kitten at home.
She said: “This poor boy was most likely a feral cat and only about five weeks old so really too young to be without his mum. He was thin and lethargic and clearly distressed by what had happened to him.
“The staff at the vets were amazing and spent all day gently washing and shaving away his glued fur. He had been stuck on the trap on his left-hand side and his left ear and tail had taken the brunt of the sticky damage.
“We named him Rodney and I am currently caring for him with my family. He’s such a lovely boy and has certainly bounced back now, following his ordeal.
“Glue traps are extremely cruel and cause unnecessary suffering to animals caught in them, whether they are the target species, like rats or mice, or a beloved pet or wild animal. Animals caught in glue traps, in attempting to get free, may rip out patches of fur or feathers, break bones and even gnaw through their own limbs to escape, which is just awful.
“Luckily Rodney did not have any lasting injuries - but had he not been found he could have suffered a very long and painful death.”
She was taken to RSPCA East Winch Wildlife Centre for specialist care.
Dermot Murphy, the RSPCA’s chief inspectorate officer, said: “We’ve had to quickly and drastically change the way we work during these unprecedented times, from the way we rehome animals to the PPE we wear when responding to calls.
“But the priority for us during lockdown has been to continue to be there for those animals who need us - while also helping people who have been hit hard by the pandemic.”
Like many charities the pandemic has had an impact on the charity’s finances. It is currently trying to fund the care of 6,381 animals in its animal and wildlife centres and veterinary hospitals in England and Wales.
Mr Murphy said: “Now, more than four months into lockdown, we’ve passed a milestone as we responded to our 100,000th incident, and our staff are as busy as ever collecting abandoned animals, investigating complaints of cruelty, providing life-saving veterinary treatment to the sick and injured, and finding wonderful new homes for our residents.”
During lockdown, Defra introduced new measures on rehoming animals, allowing the charity to find new homes or foster carers for 5,723 animals between April and July.
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