The RSPCA is urging pet owners to seek help before taking drastic action after two guinea pigs were found abandoned outside a church.
The pair were discovered shaking in fear after being left in the open inside a cage without food and water at St. Mark’s Church in Longridge Road, Woodthorpe, near Nottingham, on the evening of June 30. They were spotted by a local resident who took them home and fed them before she contacted the RSPCA.
RSPCA inspector Annette Della-Porter went around to the woman’s home near to the church to collect the abandoned pets. After they were health checked, colleague, inspector Pam Bird, transported the pair to RSPCA Derby and District Branch where they have been named Marzipan (pictured above) and Marmite (pictured below).
RSPCA inspector Bird said: “Fortunately, both guinea pigs were in good condition and didn’t require veterinary treatment, although they were extremely nervous and frightened and they didn’t seem used to human interaction.
“It was a strange place to leave them in all truth and they were certainly not happy at being handled. But considering what they had been through in being left exposed to the elements it was no surprise they were terrified.
“Abandoning pets like these in such a manner is an incredibly cruel thing to do and while it may be a long shot, if anyone has information about how they came to be there we would ask them to contact the RSPCA. This could be a case of someone who can’t cope with looking after them because of the cost of living crisis.
“We also do see more abandoned animals during the summer months, but it is so dangerous to leave any animal to fend for itself at any time. This is the reason we have launched our Cancel Out Cruelty campaign so we can rescue more animals like these poor guinea pigs and find them new homes.”
Reports of animals being abandoned are soaring and during June the RSPCA tackled 2,047 incidents, the most of any month of the year so far. That was a 34% rise on the 1,527 abandonments reported to the charity in June last year.
The cost of living crisis is one of the single biggest challenges facing animal welfare, and the RSPCA, right now. The charity’s newAnimal Kindness Index suggests 81% of owners say it’s more expensive to look after their pets, and 23% of pet owners are worried about feeding them.
In the tough financial climate, the RSPCA is doing everything to keep pets in loving homes and support owners. It has committed £1.5million of extra funding to crisis measures. These include launching a new Cost of Living Hub with a dedicated telephone helpline (0300 123 0650, Mondays to Fridays, 9am-5pm) – while also expanding its pet food bank partnerships.
Anyone who has information about the abandoned guinea pigs can ring the RSPCA appeal line on 0300 123 8018.
