The RSPCA has recorded a 24% increase in pets being dumped this year as shelters report they are “drowning in animals” amid the cost of living crisis.
Workers are being inundated with calls from owners struggling to feed and care for their pets. Between January and July this year, the charity received 22,908 animal abandonment reports, up from 18,375 in the same period last year, while in the first five months of 2022, 49% more rabbits, 14% more cats and 3% more dogs were abandoned.
One animal shelter in Worcestershire said it was “absolutely rammed with animals” while bills were soaring. In July, the centre’s busiest month so far this year, total running costs amounted to £7,500, double its average monthly bill.
“I’ve worked in animal rescue for 12 years and we’re always busy, but this is different. It’s like our nose is just above water and you just feel like: god, this is almost too much,” said Ned Cotton, manager of The Holdings rescue centre in Kempsey.
“We’re now really seeing the issue of the cost of living crisis. People are having to choose between feeding themselves and feeding their pets. It’s a horrible situation for a lot of people to be in.”
The charity has seen a 9% increase in calls to its emergency helpline this year, many from people struggling with vet bills, and their latest survey found 19% of pet owners were worried about how they would afford to feed their pets.
“I get multiple phone calls a day from members of the public who are struggling and now I am definitely hearing money as a big factor,” said Cotton. “And it is difficult from our perspective because sometimes we can help, but often we haven’t got the space.”
He added: “There is a huge backlog, we’ve got animals in private boarding facilities waiting for spaces to become available at rescue centres like ours. Right now we have two cat spaces, but they will be filled in the next couple of days.”
In just one day in August, the shelter took in nine cats and three rabbits that had been abandoned.
Claire Wood, a volunteer at the centre, said: “At times we feel like we are drowning and battling to rescue, care and rehome the endless stream of animals we are seeing.”
While abandoned animals are rising, the number of people coming forward to rehome has slowed. In 2019 the charity rehomed an average of 753 animals a week. This dropped to 518 a week in 2021, and rates are still slow.
“Due to the cost of living crisis, people are going to make judgments, they’re going to make calls on how their money is spent. We noticed rehoming slowed in July, and people aren’t donating, either; so many people just can’t afford to any more,” Cotton said.
The RSPCA recently launched its Cancel Out Cruelty campaign to help raise funds for stretched rescue teams saving animals on the frontline.
The charity is also concerned the cost of living crisis is leading to more pets being left unneutered, not microchipped, and not receiving medical care when they need it.
“We’re seeing people are not buying pet insurance, and we have seen a trend over the last few months where people haven’t been giving their pets prompt care. We had a dog who had to have its whole ear canal removed, probably because it got a seed in it and it got progressively worse because it wasn’t treated,” said Cotton.
His main concern was how the shelter was going to cope over the next few months as energy bills are expected to soar even higher.
“Often people think ‘how can people abandon their pet, how could someone do that?’” he said. “But often there are very genuine reasons behind it and I think with the cost of living crisis, I dread to think what is going to happen over the next few months.”
