19 Jun 2024
Officials say the charity spent more than £2 million in the first four months of this year alone on private boarding facilities because its centres are already full.
Allister Webb
Job Title
Image: huoadg5888 via Pixabay
The RSPCA has warned that its rehoming centres are at “breaking point” as it issued an urgent appeal for prospective owners to adopt, rather than purchase, a new pet.
The charity has said that it is currently spending around £500,000 a month on private boarding facilities for a total of 1,441 animals.
That figure is itself close to the maximum capacity of the charity’s 14 rehoming centres, but does not include the individual waiting lists of local branches and officials fear the costs will continue to mount.
Karen Colman, the charity’s head of animal logistics and welfare oversight, said: “The sad reality is that there’s still so much to do and we’re currently facing an animal welfare crisis.
“Our rescue and rehoming centres are at breaking point with the number of animals coming in versus the number being rehomed.”
The charity spent £2.1 million in the first four months of this year on private boarding, with more than half of that being used on kennelling for hundreds of dogs.
But the crisis is also being made worse by a reduction in the number of prospective owners taking on new pets due to the cost of living crisis.
A survey of more than 17,000 people, conducted by the polling organisation YouGov last autumn, found that 72% of respondents were not planning to acquire a new pet.
Ms Colman said: “Sadly, more animals in need are coming into us all the time – many who have been the victims of awful cruelty, abuse and neglect – and rehoming rates have struggled in recent years as many families feel the pinch of the cost of living crisis and make the decision not to take on a pet.
“We have hundreds of animals in our care with so much love to give, they just need a chance.”
