The RSPCA has seen an almost 25% increase in animal neglect reports during the first nine months of this year and fears the problem is about to get worse as more pet owners face financial hardship at Christmas, including 421 neglect incidents reported in Berkshire in first nine months of 2024.
The RSPCA has seen an almost 25% increase in animal neglect reports during the first nine months of this year and fears the problem is about to get worse as more pet owners face financial hardship at Christmas.
The animal welfare charity said that between January and September 2024 its emergency cruelty line recorded 48,814 incidents of neglect, up from 38,977 for the same period in 2023 – a worrying 25% year-on-year increase.
During this period the emergency line has been open 3, 276 hours, meaning it has taken an average of 15 reported incidents of neglect every single hour – or approximately one every 4 minutes.
In Berkshire 421 incidents of animal neglect were reported from January to September this year.
The distressing new statistics – which are broken down for each county – have been released as part of the charity’s campaign Join the Christmas Rescue, which aims to support frontline staff as they continue their life-saving work during the busy festive period.
In the first nine months of 2024 the counties that have seen the most incidents of neglect reported include the London area (Outer London 2,010 and Inner London 1,240), West Yorkshire (2,207), the West Midlands (2,148), Greater Manchester (2,135) and Kent (1,471).
The neglect figures have been released after the charity announced last month that 20,999 abandonment reports were made to its emergency line in 2023, compared to 16,118 in 2020 – a rise of 30% in just three years.
The RSPCA, which this year celebrates its 200th anniversary, believes these shocking statistics are due to an increase in pet ownership during Covid 19 and the current financial hardships faced by many.
The charity deals with neglect cases like these cats in Berkshire – Toto and Claude – who were found in a multi cat household where there were too many pets to be looked after properly.
Some of the cats had litters of kittens within weeks of each other, Toto and Claude being from one of the litters, along with females Flora and Mimi who are now all in the care of the RSPCA East Berkshire branch.
These cute kittens are a bonded pair who are now looking for their forever home and would be keen to live in a house where they can get lots of attention, fun and playtime to offer these two boys, also suited to experienced cat owners. You can find out more here
RSPCA Superintendent Jo Hirst said: “The large 25% increase in the number of pet neglect calls we are taking is a major concern during our busy winter period when many people are facing more financial difficulties, and we fear this upsetting trend will continue.
“One call every four minutes is a frightening statistic. Coupled with this we have also seen a startling increase in abandonment cases up 30% in just three years.
“Sadly we expect the crisis to worsen as more people tend to struggle with increased costs around Christmas time with presents to buy and extra food shopping – along with energy bills.
“But we can make a difference, which is why we are asking the public to support our appeal, Join The Christmas Rescue, and help our rescuers,veterinary teams, branches and centre staff, who work tirelessly to give animals the urgent treatment and love that will save their lives.”
To help the RSPCA rescue more animals visit rspca.org.uk/winterappeal
For those who find themselves struggling, there are many reputable animal welfare charities who can offer help and advice and we encourage anybody in a difficult situation to seek support. The RSPCA have launched a dedicated cost of living hub to signpost help out there and we also have more than 200 Pet Food Bank Partnerships across the country to support struggling pet owners.
