Cats Safety has reported that abandonments are up 71% in comparison with 2021.
The charity took in 1,825 deserted cats in 2024, a determine which has been rising steadily since 2021 when it was 1,068
That is miserable information for cat welfare.
The rise in abandonments might be linked to the difficult financial state of affairs, with a couple of in three cat house owners (34%) reporting they’ve been considerably and negatively affected by rises in dwelling prices*.
Deserted cats included one 12 months previous River who was dropped at the charity’s West Norfolk Cat Centre throughout November.
“This poor cat was discovered trapped inside a material provider that had been discovered amongst undergrowth near the River Nice Ouse,” says Stacey Ely, Deputy Supervisor of the centre.
“He was desperately scratching on the provider making an attempt to get out, and the sound alerted a close-by household who have been out for a stroll.”
“Luckily River was okay however this was a freezing day in November and he might simply have starved or frozen to demise had this household not noticed him. It was additionally lucky that we had house to take him in.” stated Stacey.
“We’re listening to many distressing tales like this from our branches and centres throughout the UK,” defined Peter Shergold, Affiliate Director of Neighborhood Operations for Cats Safety.
“Monetary pressures are undoubtedly affecting cat possession. The numbers of owned cats within the UK dropped from about 11 million in 2021 to round 10.6 million in 2024.
“Nevertheless, there’s clearly a small minority of people who find themselves abandoning their cats and placing their welfare in danger.
“This isn’t an answer for the cat – it’s probably a demise sentence. Home cats merely can not survive out within the wild with out meals, water, shelter and veterinary care.
“In the event you’re struggling to care on your cat, please don’t think about abandonment as an choice. As a substitute, contact your native Cats Safety or different respected rescue organisation, who can supply steerage and enable you discover one of the best subsequent steps to make sure your cat stays secure and properly cared for.”
The charity is urging cat lovers to donate to its winter marketing campaign so it may well assist cats and house owners that desperately need assistance, and to contemplate adopting a cat.
“Many cat house owners inform us that their pets deliver them lots of pleasure which is particularly helpful throughout this gloomy interval in January which is beset with monetary issues, unhealthy climate and infrequently failed New 12 months’s resolutions,” stated Peter.
“Stroking a cat could be a nice supply of assist because it’s identified to scale back stress, decrease blood stress and enhance temper usually, proving that life is best with cats.”
Additional details about Cats Safety’s winter marketing campaign might be discovered at www.cats.org.uk/deserted
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