Cost of living: Pet rescue centres full as owners struggle

Animal rescue centres say they are full as owners struggle to afford to keep their pets.

"The public don't realise the crisis that we're in," Paula Beeforth said as she cared for the cats at a sanctuary in Neath Port Talbot.

Reasons include a boom in the cat population and vet bills becoming unaffordable due to increases and the cost-of-living crisis.

Dog rescue centres also said they were overwhelmed with unaffordable pets.

A Ceredigion pound said owners were abandoning larger dogs who had become more expensive to keep.

The rescue centre where Paula volunteers, Ty Nant Cat Sanctuary in Cymmer, recently saw its monthly vet bill double to £6,000.

It cannot accept any more cats but receives dozens of calls every day. As well as housing 50 cats, a further 35 are being fostered in people's homes.

"Vet bills have increased considerably," Paula said.

"Kitten season is not only lasting a couple of months now, it's lasting through the whole year."

The sanctuary holds regular adoption days. In the past three months it has succeeded in having 80 cats adopted, but has rescued 93 kittens during the same period.

"One has just actually gone to a foster," Paula said.

She is talking about Vinnie, a ginger stray cat who had been at the sanctuary for more than 1,000 days. He had his own social media account in an attempt to attract a new owner.

"He was semi-feral when he came in, we couldn't go near him," she said.  

"It shows that although they can be with us a long time, they come a long way from when they come in."

Dog rescue centres are also full, with the cost of keeping animals driving many people to hand over their pets.

In the countryside near Llandysul in Ceredigion, Linda White runs Alpet Poundies Rescue for unwanted and abandoned dogs.

Asked about the largest of the dogs in her kennels, Linda said: "The big boy at the end? We'll be lucky if we can find him a home.

"Nobody wants a dog that size anymore. It's too expensive."

She said the large dogs risked "doubling your vet fee" because of their size.

"It breaks my heart because I fill up my kennels with ones that other people won't take. And I can't rehome them, and that means I then have to turn other dogs away," she said.

Linda said she had a waiting list "as long as my arm" of dogs who want a space at her rescue kennels.

"I have to say to people, if you're going to have your dog put down, I'm afraid you'll have to have your dog put down, because I haven't got room.

"And it's not just me, it's all rescues. We're all full to the brim."

The PDSA (People's Dispensary for Sick Animals) charity said some owners were seeking cheaper pet food brands, reducing visits to the vets or giving up their pets altogether.