AssetID: 55853024
Headline: Rescue kittens Harry and Lionel back their namesakes to win England v Argentina World Cup clash
Caption: **VIDEO AVAILABLE: CONTACT INFO@COVERMG.COM TO RECEIVE** BY MARK WORGAN Two feline football fans have got their predictions in ahead of Wednesday’s epic semi-final clash between England and Argentina - with rescue kittens Harry and Lionel each backing their namesakes to lead their teams to glory. The four-month-old cats, from the RSPCA's Millbrook Animal Centre in Chobham, Surrey, are part of a litter who share football-themed names. Their siblings are called Jude, Tuchel, and Rodri. Predictably, England fan Harry backed Captain Kane and his boys to emerge victorious in Atlanta when asked to pick a winner. Lionel, meanwhile, expects Mr. Messi and his Argentina teammates to advance to the World Cup final. While the kittens have become unlikely football pundits, the RSPCA says they are still looking for permanent homes. Harry, Lionel, Jude, Tuchel, and Rodri arrived at the charity's care in March, when they were just five weeks old, after being rescued with their mother and litter-mates from a multi-cat hoarding situation where their welfare needs were not being met. Several of the kittens were suffering from eye infections when they were rescued but made a full recovery following treatment. Because the kittens are highly bonded, the RSPCA hopes they can be rehomed together, ideally as a pair and a trio. As the kittens have previously had feline chlamydia and remain carriers, they cannot live with cats outside their existing group. Oli Whiteway, Centre Manager at Millbrook, said: "These kittens are so full of energy, so Lionel and Harry definitely need those hydration breaks! They have so much love to give, they’d be brilliant companions. "They’ll need patient owners who can continue to guide them as they grow, ensuring they get all the love and structure they missed out on early in life, but they’re all such funny little characters and they’d be wonderful additions to any family." People interested in adopting Lionel or Harry can apply through the RSPCA's online rehoming application process. The appeal comes as the RSPCA warns that major football tournaments can coincide with an increase in animal cruelty. The charity said research has shown incidents of domestic abuse rise during football tournaments, particularly following England matches, and that pets can also become victims. It said perpetrators of coercive control sometimes use violence or threats against animals to manipulate victims into remaining in abusive relationships. The appeal also coincides with the launch of the RSPCA's Cruelty Hurts, Love Rescues fundraising campaign, which aims to raise awareness of increasing reports of animal cruelty during the summer months. According to newly published figures, the charity received 6,322 cruelty reports to its emergency line during June, July and August last year — equivalent to one call every 10 minutes while the service was open. That compares with 3,852 calls over the same period in 2021. The RSPCA also reported an increase in cat cruelty incidents and said it had seen growing numbers of large-scale rescues involving multiple animals from a single property. RSPCA Superintendent Jo Hirst said: "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. "That is why we have launched our Cruelty Hurts, Love Rescues campaign to highlight this shocking trend and the work we are doing to save so many animals from horrific abuse and suffering." The charity said it dealt with 1,752 large-scale cat incidents last year, including 13 involving more than 100 cats. In total, more than 36,000 cats were involved in those rescues. It also said the number of cat-related incidents rose by 49% between May and September 2025 compared with the same period in 2024, which it attributed to peak breeding season, unwanted litters and increasing financial pressures on pet owners. Mr Whiteway said: "At the moment, we have very high numbers of cats in national RSPCA care, with about a third of them in emergency catteries because our centres are full. We started this year with the highest number of cats - 1,280 - since 2019.”
Keywords: rspca,kittens,feature,football,harry kane,lionel messi
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