By October of this year, the figure had already reached 5,616 cats, equating to an average of 624 cats rescued each month.
This figure does not include the huge numbers independent local branches are working tirelessly to look after and rehome.
A cat crisis in the UK
The cat crisis has seen mother cats and kittens abandoned in increasingly perilous conditions.
Pet hoarders have also contributed to the soar in numbers, with a 65% increase in incidents involving 10 cats or more. These are thought to have involved over 36,000 cats in 2025 alone.
"We really need help"
With the number of cats in the RSPCA's care now outnumbering dogs, the charity has issued an urgent appeal.
"We currently have more animals in our care than space in our centres and branches - and it's a heart-breaking situation that other animal charities and rescue centres are also facing" explained RSPCA chief executive Jo Roland.
"We really need help from animal lovers. If you are considering adding a pet to your home, please consider rescuing - and if you can't adopt, could you consider fostering? We are working to increase our number of foster carers, as well as modernising our rehoming process to try to get animals into loving homes sooner."
