Animals ‘starving’ amid record neglect reports, RSPCA warns

A major welfare charity has revealed it is receiving more neglect reports than ever and warned many animals are now “starving behind closed doors”.

Two weeks ago, the RSPCA launched a new winter fund-raising appeal as it revealed a 23% year-on-year increase in incidents of animals being abandoned.

But new figures released today (4 December) show neglect reports to the organisation are rising even faster than that, with 30% more incidents already recorded this year than in 2024.

Emergency line

More than 73,000 cases were reported to its emergency line between the start of 2025 and the end of October, and officials fear even worse may be yet to come.

Superintendent Simon Osborne said: “Animals are facing shocking levels of neglect right now – they are often starving behind closed doors and being left without the treatment they urgently need.

“Times are desperately tough and innocent animals are tragically the ones paying the ultimate price.

“The heartbreaking surge in neglect reports has already shattered our records and we fear for what is to come over the winter months.”

Individual animals

The scale of the problem was highlighted only weeks after a 39-year-old woman received a suspended prison sentence at a Birmingham court for welfare offences against a five-month-old puppy who vets said had been suffering starvation and malnourishment for most of her life before she was found.

Mr Osborne said: “These are not just statistics; behind the staggering numbers are individual animals, all who desperately need and deserve our help to survive.

“It’s unbearable to see the pain in their eyes, but that’s the reality facing so many animals and our rescuers fighting to save their lives.”

More details of the winter appeal, called the Big Give Back to Animals, are available via its webpage.