Expert's warning as children as young as six referred to RSPCA over cruelty to cats
Children aged six and under are being referred to the RSPCA after harming cats, alarming new figures have revealed.
Cats are now the animals most frequently harmed by young people in England and Wales, with 64 per cent of incidents involving felines referred to the charity’s interventions team concerning children aged 11 or younger.
One in five referrals involving harm to cats concerned children aged six or under.
The specialist team provides help and guidance when a child or young person displays worrying behaviour towards animals.
More than half of all referrals involving young people harming animals so far this year have concerned cats, compared with 25 per cent last year.
The harm reported includes physical acts, confinement and deliberately causing distress.
Boys accounted for 64 per cent of cat-related referrals across all ages up to August this year. However, the proportion involving girls has risen from 24 per cent in 2025 to 36 per cent this year.
The disturbing findings have prompted the RSPCA to launch an interactive video teaching children how to treat cats kindly and recognise signs of fear or anxiety.
The “How to be Kind to Cats” video warns that social media trends involving deliberately startling cats, dressing them in uncomfortable costumes or placing them in stressful situations can have serious welfare consequences.
It teaches youngsters that thumping tails, pinned-back ears and visibly enlarged eyes can indicate that a cat is frightened.
Children are also encouraged to think twice before liking or sharing online content showing animals in distress, as engagement can help harmful trends spread.
Claire Blakey, Senior Prevention Manager at the RSPCA, said: “Cats can't tell us when they're scared, but their behaviour does. Unfortunately, many videos online present fear and stress as entertainment - and so-called social media trends sometimes contribute to the negative treatment of cats by children.
“We want young people to become confident at recognising how cats are really feeling and to understand that choosing not to engage with harmful content is one simple way everyone can help improve animal welfare.
“Our referral data shows that many of the young people coming to us after harming cats are of primary school age, or even younger. That underlines why it's so important to help children understand animal behaviour from an early age, before harmful behaviours become established.”
Katie Gwilt, cat expert and founder of holistic cat care business The Kat Lady, said parents had a vital role to play in teaching children that animals have feelings and deserve respect.
She said: “Parents must teach their children kindness towards all animals from the earliest possible age and help them understand that cats are sentient beings who can feel fear, pain and distress.
“It is also important to look out for signs that a child is displaying cruel behaviour towards animals and to take those warning signs seriously. Early empathy intervention can help create a kinder and more compassionate society, which is better for cats, other animals and people too.”
The findings come as separate RSPCA figures revealed a 64 per cent increase in summer animal cruelty over the past five years involving people of all ages.
During June, July and August last year, the charity received 6,322 cruelty calls to its emergency line, equivalent to one call every ten minutes while the line was open.
Claire added: “Alarming new figures show that we are seeing rising reports of cruelty year after year. The summer months are our busiest times of year and our frontline rescue teams, specialist vets, behaviourists, rehabilitation and rehoming teams, will be working tirelessly to help as many animals as possible.”
The new video forms part of the RSPCA’s NextGen Kindness Hub, which offers children and young people practical ways to become better animal advocates.
It encourages them to recognise when a cat needs space, understand why frightening animals for entertainment is harmful, avoid sharing content that promotes poor welfare and seek help if they see a cat being injured or mistreated.
The initiative supports the charity’s wider Cruelty Hurts, Love Rescues campaign, which aims to raise awareness and funds for frontline teams during the summer peak in reports of animal cruelty.
