Five arrested over suspected cat hunts The RSPCA said last week that an increase in animal cruelty and abuse was putting its funding under strain. Photograph: Sean Dempsey/PA Five people have been arrested and eight dogs impounded in an operation targeting a gang suspected of hunting cats and wild animals in County Durham. Fifty police officers and 19 RSPCA inspectors were involved in early morning raids on houses in the Firthmoor area of Darlington, acting on warrants issued on suspicion of animal cruelty. Four men aged 18 and a 19-year-old are being questioned while forensic officers examine items seized in the raids, including computers, mobile phones and materials linked to hunting. The dogs impounded are six lurchers and two labradors. There have been a series of reports from local people of cats and other animals being chased by dogs in an apparently systematic manner. One of the 18-year-olds is also being questioned on suspicion of cultivating cannabis after plants were seized from his home. Durham police deputy chief constable Michael Banks said: "We are committed to protecting our rural communities and tackling rural crime. Animal welfare is an issue at the heart of those communities and we hope that this morning's raids reassure people that activities involving animal cruelty will not be tolerated. The RSPCA's chief inspector, Mark Gent, said: "Where we have evidence that offences have taken place, we will take action to bring the individuals involved before a court. I hope this sends a message to anyone involved in this kind of deliberate, abhorrent cruelty. We are actively seeking you and the next knock on the door could be us. Last week, the RSPCA chief executive, Gavin Grant, said an increase in animal cruelty and abuse was putting the charity's funding under strain. Cruelty convictions have risen by nearly a quarter in five years and the number of pets abandoned since the start of the economic downturn in 2007 has soared by 65%. In spite of efficiency savings, RSPCA costs have grown from £111m annually to £120m. The case is unusual although domestic pets have been killed by accident when caught up in hunts. Last December, North Yorkshire police investigated the killing of a cat by 27 hounds from the Staintondale and Goathland hunts that strayed on to private land, but took no action. The RSPCA said: "Anecdotally there has been an increase in these kinds of incidents and dogs attacking cats and wildlife is becoming an issue in the north-east of England and also in Manchester and Cumbria."