Elderly volunteers being verbally abused, says Honiton branch of Cats Protection.

Elderly volunteers at a Honiton charity are being verbally abused by pet owners desperate to give away their animals, it has been revealed.

Honiton Cats Protection says one woman threatened to sell her pets on eBay, if the charity refused to take them that day.

Elizabeth Manley, on behalf of the branch, said: “We try our best to help, but people’s expectations are way too high.

“We can only accommodate about 12 cats at any one time.

“Honiton Cats Protection is a very small branch and we depend on volunteer fosterers to look after cats in our care.” Mrs Manley says the charity is currently “full to bursting with older cats”.

More people, she says, want to give up their pets because they are moving into rented accommodation.

“We are being verbally abused,” she told the Midweek Herald.

“One person even threatened to put her cats on eBay if we did not taken them in that day.

“We will not be threatened in this way.

“Anyway, eBay does not take live animals as far as I am aware.

“People need to realise that we are doing our best with finite resources.”

Mrs Manley says incidents of verbal abuse are particularly concerning as most of the charity’s volunteers are aged 65 and over and “can do without this kind of trouble”.

She is keen to recruit more volunteers for the charity’s High Street shop and is appealing for donations to help the branch cope with the number of cats requiring care.

If you can help, pop into the shop in High Street.