More than 200 cat cruelty reports to RSPCA in Wiltshire last year
RSPCA has released figures as part of its Cancel Out Cruelty campaign
Last updated 27th Jul 2023
Figures released today by the RSPCA as part of its Cancel Out Cruelty campaign have revealed 1,567 cat cruelty complaints were made in the Westcountry - last year alone.
In Wiltshire, including Swindon, that figure sits at 237, whilst Devon had the largest proportion of reports in our region, at 394.
Nationally, there were almost 18,000 cat cruelty complaints reported to the RSPCA.
Those are defined as cases of abandonment, neglect, intentional harm, and cats that are left unattended.
Of those reports, 1,726 were intentional harm incidents - which is around five a day.
Those are defined as cases of attempted killing, poisonings, beatings, improper killing, and suspicious circumstances, and represents and increase of a shocking 25% from 2021.
Cancel Out Cruelty Campaign
The charity has released the figures as part of its Cancel Out Cruelty campaign, in a bid to raise funds to help its frontline rescue teams continue to save animals from cruelty and abuse.
It comes during a busy time for the animal welfare charity, which sees cruelty peak in the summer with three reports made every single minute.
The cost-of-living crisis is also thought to be a contributing factor to an increase in deliberate harm to animals at a time when the cost of rescuing animals is at an all-time high and the RSPCA’s vital services are stretched to the limit.
Head of the RSPCA’s companion animal department, Dr Sam Gaines, said: “Cats are one of the most popular pets in the UK with an estimated 11 million pet cats in UK homes but our figures suggest sadly they are the second most abused pet - after dogs.
“It is heart-breaking to think that five cats every day are suffering at the hands of humans - it really is appalling - but sadly the RSPCA knows all too well that this cruelty is carried out on a regular basis.
“We see hundreds of felines come through our doors every year who have been subjected to unimaginable cruelty - being beaten, burned, thrown around, had bones broken, been shot at, poisoned and drowned.
“In many cases these pets have been injured deliberately by their owners - the very people who are supposed to love and protect them. But cats are also more vulnerable as they tend to be out and about on their own which can leave them vulnerable to airgun attacks and other forms of cruelty by complete strangers.”
Jenny Ride, a RSPCA chief inspector in the Westcountry, said: “Right now, animal cruelty is happening in England and Wales on a massive scale and rising. It is heartbreaking that we are seeing such sad figures which show animal cruelty is, very sadly, on the rise.
“While we don’t know for certain why there has been an increase, the cost of living crisis and the post-pandemic world we live in has created an animal welfare crisis.
“Each year, these reports reach its terrible annual peak in the summer months. The cost-of-living crisis also means the cost of rescuing animals is at an all-time high and our vital services are stretched to the limit.”
Case study
Two young kittens were helped to safety after they were abandoned in Coventry by a man who dumped them in the street and ran away.
A member of the public spotted the kittens being dumped beneath trees by a park, located between Sampson Close and the River Sowe in Coventry before calling the RSPCA.
RSPCA Animal Rescue Officer Freya Lamb said: “The kittens - one black and white and one tortoiseshell - were very lucky to have been spotted by the kind-hearted member of the public who helped them to safety and contacted us.
“They had witnessed a man take the kittens out of a cat carrier and drop them to the floor before running away.
“They are sweet and friendly cats who certainly didn’t deserve to be thrown away like this. There is never an excuse to abandon any animal in this way.”