AN amateur animal rescuer from Maybole has been inundated with calls from would-be cat owners after an appeal to re-home 13 newborn kittens.

Janis McNair found the kittens and their mothers abandoned near a country road between Maybole and Dailly.

She has been working to help the cats stop unwanted pregnancies and find new homes.

Janis said: “I’ve been doing this all my life. I’ve taken three mothers to the vets in Mauchline to get them dressed so they stop getting pregnant.

“They keep getting pregnant, having litters and eventually are just thrown out. 

“There have been incidents where people have moved house and just left the cats behind to fend for themselves.

“They don’t get them dressed either because they don’t want to pay for it. 

“It is only around £10 through Cats Protection.”

After her latest find, Janis made a public appeal to find the cats a new home and she has been overwhelmed by the response. Janis added: “I’ve had two or three days with no sleep, I’m exhausted. 

“I’ve had about 2,000 calls from loads of different people who want the cats.”

However, Janis doesn’t want the cats to end up in a home where they won’t be able to stay permanently and has been mindful of who she has asked to take a look at them.

“There have been a lot of kids and I don’t want to give them to kids.”

Janis said: “Some of the people who called were nut cases asking if they would have to pay for vaccinations and things. 

“If you can’t afford to pay for the vaccinations then you can’t afford a cat.

“There was one guy asking weird questions and I wondered about the dog fighting. You’ve got to watch out for dog fighting because they use the kittens as bait.

“My SMS is full. I don’t like answering texts from people wanting a cat, I’m not going to do that. 

“If you don’t phone you’re not going to get one. 

“My phone has collapsed from all the texts and calls.”