RSCPA took 775 animal cruelty calls on Christmas Day last year
Tens of thousands of animals were being left abandoned over Christmas
The RSPCA has revealed that more terrified pets are being left on their own at Christmas.
As the charity prepares to help animals in need over the festive period, it's being revealed that almost 800 calls were made to the cruelty line on Christmas Day in 2023.
The shocking new stats released by the organisation show it received 25,230 reports between 18th December 2023 and 2nd January 2024 across the nation - an average of 158 calls per hour.
Lewis Taylor, RSPCA chief inspector for Wiltshire, said: “It is unimaginable that anyone could abandon a pet at any time of year, let alone Christmas. Last year we saw a 23% increase in animals abandoned in the home over the Christmas period - often while their owners went away celebrating the festive season without giving a thought for the care of their pets - who were often left in appalling conditions.”
They're urging us to support their Christmas Rescue in order to save and rehome as many animals as they can this Christmas.
Among the animals the charity managed to rescue last year were cats Freya and Minnie
The pair had been left in a dirty flat for nine days, without food.
After initially being able to locate the cats or gain entry to the flat, an RSPCA inspector placed seals on the door to see if anyone was visiting the property.
Upon a return visit, the seals were still in place and a paw could be seen at the bottom of the door as a cat was desperately trying to escape.
After feeding the cats through the gap at the bottom of the door, Police helped force entry to the property.
The cats were rushed to a nearby RSPCA hospital for treatment. Both were found very underweight, Freya at just 1.1kg.
Both Freya and Minnie have both gone on to find forever homes.