At 8am last Wednesday the RSPCA ’s cruelty hotline received its first calls of the day.
Forty of these were made about a ginger and white cat that had been found
abandoned inside a plastic backpack at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Greenwich, South East London.
It is believed she had been dumped the day before – the hottest day ever recorded in the UK. A bed, litter box and food had been placed next to the builders’ skip.
Animal rescue officer Rodney Kenny said: “She was scared, meowing, and scratching inside the case desperate to be let out.”
By 12pm, the calls were coming in fast. A boxer dog had been left abandoned to cope with the heat in a filthy garden in Liverpool with no food, water or shelter. Concerned neighbours put food over the fence before calling the helpline after the owner had moved out days before.
Daniel the lop rabbit was also rescued at 4pm after being abandoned in a park in Ipswich with a serious injury to his nose requiring plastic surgery.
Most of us can’t imagine hurting pets or wildlife. But these heartbreaking stories were just some of the near 6,000 calls made to the RSPCA that day – its busiest of the year so far – as Britain sweltered.
Every summer the calls to the RSPCA’s emergency animal cruelty hotline rise even further with horrific cases of beaten kittens, drowned dogs and even wildlife set on fire.
The consequences of daytime drinking, or perhaps the stresses of family life, are not excuses.
Jill Smith, RSPCA specialist manager at the National Control Centre, said: “This recent heatwave has put extra pressure on our call takers and support staff, frontline rescuers, vets, centres and branches who care for animal victims of cruelty.
“This year we are bracing ourselves for a summer of suffering with an increase in pet ownership during the pandemic and the cost-of-living crisis.
“That is why we need the public’s support more than ever to help our campaign, Cancel Out Cruelty, so call staff, frontline rescuers and centre and branch staff can work together to help all those animals in need.”
Go to rspca.org.uk/canceloutcruelty for more information.
