Worried pet owners in the UK would cut back on food and heating rather than give up their beloved companion, a new survey has found.
The poll for national pet charity Blue Cross found the almost two-thirds of owners (58%) have already reduced personal and household spending to afford their pet’s food and care this year as the rising cost of living continues to impact people’s wallets.
Some 44% said they would cut back on food, while more than one in three (38%) owners said they would cut back on energy use to help them cover costs this winter, with 58% saying their pet was their main priority.
The worrying findings come as Blue Cross sees admissions increase by 32% in just a year from owners who are no longer able to afford to care for their pet, and an increase in pet abandonments coming into its teams.
This year the charity has seen a 35% year-on-year increase in abandoned dogs being admitted and a 3% increase year on year in cats.
At just four weeks old, Emma should have still been with her mum. Instead, the tiny kitten was found covered in fleas and showing signs of cat flu abandoned in a box and left on a doorstep.
Fortunately, her finder brought her into Blue Cross’s animal hospital in Victoria, London, where she received urgent treatment. Now recovered, she has been transferred to the charity’s rehoming centre in Bromsgrove, where she is now waiting for a loving new home.
A four-year-old German Shepherd who was left outside one of the charity’s centres with her six pups is also been cared for by the charity.
Blue Cross is worried its rehoming services will be pushed to capacity this winter, as people are forced to make difficult decisions over a beloved pet.
The charity’s poll found 74% of owners said they are concerned about affording vet care, with two in five (40%) admitting to delaying veterinary care and prescriptions for their pet due to financial pressures. Sadly nearly 20% of owners admitted they had considered rehoming their pet due to the increasing cost of living.
But with the support of Blue Cross, these situations can be avoided. The charity is urging owners who are struggling to care for a pet to act now and contact them for help and advice.
The charity runs Pet Food Banks at four of its rehoming centres across the country – Sheffield, Exeter, Newport Manchester – and at its charity shop in Bicester where owners can get free pet food for their cats, dogs and small animals. The charity also supplies more than 500 foodbanks across the country with pet food. The service has helped more than 100,000 people since launching in 2022, and fed nearly four million pets for a day.
Blue Cross also provides low-cost vet care to pets at its animal hospitals in London and Grimsby to those on certain means tested benefits. Last year the charity provided life-saving emergency care for nearly 12,000 sick and injured pets at its hospitals.
Alyson Jones, Director of Rehoming and Fostering at Blue Cross, said: “We know people are facing another difficult winter and that many owners are already feeding their pets over themselves and facing desperate decisions.
“We want people to know we are here to provide support and help with our services and would urge anyone struggling to reach out for help as soon as possible.”
This Christmas Blue Cross is urging people to consider supporting pets like four-week-old kitten Emma by making a donation for an emergency care box. Visit bluecross.org.uk/carebox
