The number of pets getting abandoned by their owners has soared to a three-year high, leaving the charity in what it has called a “winter crisis”.
There were 1,800 incidents of abandonment reported across England and Wales in October – up by 48.1% from October 2020.
RSPCA inspectorate commissioner Dermot Murphy said: “We’re desperately concerned about the coming winter months – abandonments have soared and many rescue centres are full to bursting, so we are facing an unprecedented winter crisis.
“Our rescue teams are set to be busier than ever this Christmas – so we need animal lovers to join the Christmas Rescue and donate to help us be there for animals in desperate need as abandonment soars.”
The charity said the reasons for the spike in abandonments include a surge in people getting pets during the Covid pandemic and the current cost of living crisis.
Mr Murphy told the BBC’s Newsround: “More folks additionally took on pets throughout the Covid pandemic – and maybe they had been unprepared for the long-term dedication which a pet wants.”
“Sadly at the RSPCA we are seeing more people abandoning their pets because they can no longer afford them.”
Advice on coping with the cost of residing disaster contains discovering a pet meals financial institution, chatting with your vet about points with money, on the lookout for cheaper pharmacies and contacting the RSPCA’s recommendation group
The charity is asking on the general public to “join the Christmas rescue” with donations and assist.
