Reports of animals being abandoned have risen sharply this year, with the RSPCA recording a 23 percent increase in incidents during the first ten months of 2025 – prompting concerns over a potentially “grim” Winter for pets.
By the end of October, the charity’s emergency line had received 24,270 reports of animals being abandoned or dumped, up from 19,727 during the same period in 2024.
This means that across the first ten months of the year, an abandonment incident was reported every nine minutes while the emergency line was open.
With frontline teams preparing for a further spike over the Winter months, the RSPCA has launched an urgent appeal – The Big Give Back to Animals – to help fund its rescue operations. The charity fears that falling temperatures and longer nights will place even more animals in danger.
Last Winter (November to January), 5,902 abandonment incidents were reported, and concerns are growing that the rising trend will continue. Cases have been higher in every single month of 2025 compared with the corresponding month in 2024.
Incidents of animals being dumped had already reached their highest level in at least five years. The ongoing cost of living crisis is also contributing to pressures on pet owners, leaving more animals in desperate need of the RSPCA’s support to “survive, heal and thrive”.
RSPCA superintendent Simon Osborne said: “It’s been an incredibly challenging year for many pets, and we have seen a dramatic and heartbreaking rise in abandonments this year.
“And with Winter upon us, with plummeting temperatures and dark nights, we fear things could get even harder in the months to come.
“Sadly, animal abandonment has become so problematic and so tragically widespread, that we’ve seen more incidents every month this year when compared to 2024; and reports have been rising year after year.
“There’s an epidemic of animal abandonment and neglect, meaning our officers are needed now more than ever to respond to those animals in the most urgent need of help.”
Layla abandoned before RSPCA rescue
Layla is just one of the animals saved by the RSPCA in recent years. She was rescued by RSPCA officers from a filthy, faeces-filled and rubbish garage. Tragically, a second dog was found dead beside her.
Vets gave her a body condition score of two out of nine – she weighed 27.25kg (60.1lb). Layla was admitted to an RSPCA hospital and started on intravenous fluids, given antibiotics and pain relief. She was placed on a high calorie diet with a feeding plan to help her gain weight.
Toni Boyle, a veterinary nurse at RSPCA Birmingham Animal Hospital, described her as “the most adorable dog” who “very loving and loved cuddles” and was adored by the team caring for her.
RSPCA Inspector Louise Marston, who rescued Layla, said: “She looked incredibly sad when I first saw her. In my 12 year career, I have never seen a dog act like this and it was painful to witness, especially given the environmental conditions and the physical conditions.
“Layla has since made a full recovery and has found a happy home. Her journey has been amazing and makes everything we do so worthwhile and is the reason RSPCA’s Big Give Back to Animals is here to help other pets like Layla escape from such awful situations and give them a happy life.”
Grim picture – and a tricky Winter ahead
But countless more animals like Layla need help.
Overall in 2024, there were 23,564 abandonment incidents reported to the RSPCA – higher than in 2023, 2022, 2021 and 2020.
And that “depressing” trend will continue in 2025 – with calls already higher than the whole of 2024, and spiking amid the challenging backdrop of the cost of living crisis, economic uncertainty and people’s increasingly busy lives.
Urgent funding needed to keep reaching animals
Rising numbers of calls is placing added pressure on RSPCA officers on the frontline.
The Big Give Back to Animals is raising vital funds for the charity, helping them to bring more abandoned and neglected animals – like Floss – to safety, where they can be given urgent care and treatment.
Simon added: “Times are tough, right now – and animals are paying the price. Reports of abandonment have already reached their highest levels in at least five years, and the worst could be yet to come as we enter a grim Winter period.
“But animals are sentient; they feel joy, fear, love and pain, just like we do. They give us so much, and ask for so little. Sadly, without help, many animals will die this winter – scared, suffering, and unloved.
“Thankfully, there is hope – and I am so proud of the RSPCA’s efforts to help dumped pets survive, heal and thrive, and go onto a better life. Every year, we find loving new homes for tens of thousands of pets, and rescue countless animals from situations of hopeless cruelty and neglect.
“But none of this work is possible without the kindness and generosity of our supporters. Every pound and penny people give goes towards creating a better world for every kind of animal.”
