A Taunton-based charity provided record numbers of jobs for previously out of work mousers across the county during 2019 and now they have more vacancies to be filled.

Cats Protection’s volunteer-run Taunton and Wellington Branch humanely trapped and neutered 106 feral cats and kittens during 2019, an increase of almost 85 per cent since 2018.

Although the majority could be returned to the outdoor colonies from which they came, to continue their vital assistance with rodent populations, 41 per cent were relocated to farms, stables and smallholdings where they took up the role of chief mouser.

Evie Leigh, the branch’s Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) team leader, said: “We are a small team of just nine TNR volunteers and we trapped a huge number of cats in 2019. The main site was a farm where, over about eight months, we trapped 36 cats - 17 males and 19 females. None of the females had been neutered and the numbers could have quickly escalated as one female cat can have up to 18 kittens per year and the female offspring can then have kittens after just four months.

“We receive requests from a wide geographical area for feral, working or farm cats which means we have relocated cats in Devon, Dorset, Wiltshire and Cornwall in addition to our own direct area of Somerset. We have had great feedback from several of the relocation sites saying that after the cats had acclimatised to their new homes, the rat population declined rapidly and in some cases reached zero.”

Read more: Kittens rescued after being put in supermarket recycling bin

The charity advises that a pair of feral cats can provide a highly efficient and environmentally-friendly alternative to chemical pest control.

Garden centres, golf clubs, smallholdings, farms, stables, shops, or anywhere where there is room to roam and rodents to catch, will provide working cats with a suitable environment to live and work.

While feral kittens aged up to eight weeks can be successfully ‘socialised’ and rehomed in a normal home environment, this is not usually possible with adult ferals. Once they have been neutered, volunteers return them to their colony, if a sustainable one exists, or find them a new home in a suitable environment where they can thrive and work hard doing what they like best.

If you would like assistance with feral cats or to provide a home for a feral cat please contact Cats Protection’s Taunton and Wellington Branch on enquiries@taunton.cats.org.uk or 03452 602 397.