WALKING down the busy corridors of Bright Eyes Animal Sanctuary, the faint meows of kittens can be heard all around.

These kittens, of all shapes, colours, and sizes, play carelessly within their plush enclosures, filled with ample toys and blankets.

Volunteers and staff bustle around, emptying litter trays and topping up bowls, all in the hope that their adorable charges will find their forever homes.

Amid this flurry of activity, more kittens are arriving daily.

The Ballinamallard-based sanctuary is currently at full capacity, and volunteers admit that a kitten is no sooner rehomed before a fresh batch appears.

The situation is the same across all animal shelters in Northern Ireland, and charities such as the USPCA have reported that the number of kittens under their care has doubled since this time last year.

The charity revealed that it currently has a waiting list of over 100 animals in need of rehoming, and the "sheer amount of kittens" has meant it cannot help many people in urgent need of having their pet rehomed.

This pressing reality is mirrored in rural Fermanagh.

"We are coming down with kittens, and this is only the start of it this year," said Bright Eyes Chairperson, Denise Donnelly, as she walked into a room containing 12 rescue kittens.

"These are all surrenders; they are all unwanted kittens. They are cats that have been dumped at the side of the road and wandered up to people's houses. They come from all around.

"It's heartbreaking, but sadly, it's something we are seeing more and more of, especially at this time of year.

"Concerningly, there seem to be more kittens coming every year."

According to Denise, despite the persistent efforts of the charity, rehoming cats and kittens is always more difficult than rehoming dogs. Some cats have been at Bright Eyes for months, and the influx of kittens places additional pressure on resources.

"I wouldn't say that rehoming is the difficult part, it's just that there are so many of them at the moment," Denise explained.

"We rehomed five kittens one day, and on the same day, another five came in!"

She continued: "This is kitten season, so what you are seeing here today are all the healthy cats. However, this is what we call the 'first wave'.

"But if we didn't take those kittens in? They would be out in the wild having kittens as young as four months.

"The next lot of kittens wouldn't be as healthy, due to inbreeding and sickness. Things would be even worse for these cats' offspring.

"This is the sad reality of it."

As Denise spoke, volunteer Sheena Moffitt brought in three more kittens: Millie, Mica, and Maddie.

Denise explained that their mother, Molly, had been brought to the shelter while pregnant.

The trio, which are "black and white and full of energy", were born in the shelter, and now each must be rehomed.

This, Denise feels, is an example of why it is important to spay and neuter cats of both genders. At present, every cat that arrives at Bright Eyes undergoes these procedures.

"Many people don’t understand that female cats can get pregnant as young as four months old," Denise continued. "It is vitally important for male cats to be neutered too.

"Neutering also reduces the risk of injury, disease, and straying, which gives owners additional peace of mind.

"Spaying and neutering cats is the big issue here when it comes to tackling this problem."

According to the USPCA, the cost-of-living crisis is also having a major impact on the number of unwanted kittens, with families on low incomes unable to afford to get their cats neutered.

However, the need to neuter every cat, along with other vaccinations, is also costly for animal shelters such as Bright Eyes.

According to Denise, vaccinations can cost up to £46 per cat, and neutering up to £90. Vet bills can total £10,000 per month.

"The animals are the most important thing, but it does take money to keep any shelter running," Denise continued. "We would love people to set up small standing orders that would help us keep going.

"It would give us a secure income to keep us going when funding or fundraising isn't available.

"Sometimes, we simply can't get out to fundraise because we are looking after the animals."

The boom of kittens in recent weeks comes amid the "pausing" of Erne Cats Protection, which was part of the UK-wide charity dedicated to rescuing and rehoming stray, unwanted, or homeless cats.

This has, according to Denise, placed "added pressure" on Bright Eyes Animal Sanctuary.

The move, according to Cats Protection, is to allow the "restructuring" of sites to allow "greater coverage and capacity" across Northern Ireland.

However, when asked if the branch would reopen, a spokeswoman from Cats Protection said: "The branch as it was will not operate in the same way as it had in the past, but the Co Fermanagh team will be operational in the future, helping cats in the area."

Much like other shelters, the Northern Ireland Cat Centre in Belfast is currently at full capacity.

“We currently have a list of over 200 cats waiting to come into our care, and with only 66 pens available, we are constantly at capacity," said Bethany English, Deputy Manager of the Cat Centre.

“Cats come to us for many reasons, including financial difficulties, domestic violence, owners becoming ill or passing away, unwanted litters, allergies, and changes in personal circumstances.

“This challenge is not unique to us - animal charities across Northern Ireland, both large and small, are feeling the strain, but we’re all doing our best to help."