CAT owners have been warned of the dangers of inbreeding after a kitten was born needing £2,000 worth of surgery.

Eight-week-old Sidney has problems with the tube which should link his kidneys and bladder as a result of inbreeding, and has no control over when he goes to the toilet.

He was given to Four Paws Cat Rescue after he was dumped by someone who couldn’t care for him herself.

The charity’s cattery is already full, and with several calls a day about unwanted felines, charity founder Julie Jones called on owners to be more responsible.

She said: “The trouble is, people don’t realise cats can get pregnant again within four to five weeks of having a litter.

“That’s when you end up with colonies, and cats end up going feral. You also end up with inbreeding if you keep them together.”

She said Sidney’s case was quite rare, but there could be other kittens from the same litter out there with similar problems.

The charity is planning to fund Sidney’s surgery, but other cats and kittens will not be so lucky.

Julie said: “It is heart-breaking. There are just too many out there.”

The warnings have been echoed by the RSPCA.

Spokesman Andy Robbins said: “We always recommend people have their cats neutered or spayed, because there are too many cats out there.

“When you get large litters, and cats breeding indiscriminately, you end up with more cats than people can manage. It comes down to responsible ownership.”

Picture: OX53939 Denis Kennedy