Fourteen cats and kittens have been abandoned on doorsteps across west Norfolk in the past two weeks leading to “the worst” year one rehoming officer has ever seen.

Breckland Cats Protection is now searching for people to home the feline creatures as its foster carers struggle to look-after so many.

The animals were discovered after they were abandoned on doorsteps in three separate incidents.

The first was in Methwold when two adult cats were left on the doorstep of one of the charity’s fosterers. One is a tabby and the other a tortoiseshell, both are around three-years-old and female.

The second was in Thetford when three kittens, two black and white and one tabby, were left on another fosterer’s doorstep. The third came when seven kittens, a mixture of gingers, tabbies and tortoiseshells, and two cats were left in two boxes in the garden of a partly-disabled womanin Knettishall. The cats ran from the box when it was opened and have not been seen since.

Rehoming officer for Breckland Cats Protection, Jackie Nunn, said she was “frustrated” by the situation. “This has been the worst year I’ve seen,” she said. “I think people are leaving cats on doorsteps because they know we’re full and we have a waiting list but the problem also comes from the fact we’re just not homing any adults. Nobody is coming forward for them and we’ve got some lovely ones. It’s a shame because we’ve had some of them a while now and at this time of year we normally have several going out.”

Ms Nunn said part of the problem could be solved if more cat owners neutered their pets in order to avoid unwanted kittens. Currently the charity, which is primarily fundded through donations, spends around �150 on each cat it takes in which includes various treatments such as blood tests and neutering. Vert bills can cost around �1,500 per month.

She added: “It’s hard because we have to rally round and put cats in bedrooms and the like because we’re already full. We’re getting really fed up with it.

“If people had cats neutered, it would prevent all of this – they say a mature cat can be responsible for 20,000 descendents in a lifetime her kittens have kittens and so on.

“There’s so much apathy out there.”