The rise of the pet food bank: Charity reveals rising number of Brits are ... trends now
People are 'choosing between feeding themselves and their pets', a charity chief has warned.
As the cost of living crisis rumbles on continues to put pressure on people's finances, food banks dedicated to cats, dogs and other animals are on the rise.
Volunteers say that desperate owners are turning to them for help - with many fearing they will have to give their animals up as they cannot afford to care for them.
Roughly 70 per cent of pet owners are worried about the cost of caring for their animal, new RSPCA research suggests, while up to 20 per cent are worried about how they are going to feed them.
At Mayhew Animal Home in Kensal Green, north west London, volunteers provide 'pet care packages' which include anything from food, to toys, to medicine.
People are 'choosing between feeding themselves and their pets', a charity chief has warned
Mayhew Animal Home CEO Elvira Meucci-Lyons (pictured) said that demand for these packages increased fourfold in 2023 compared with 2022 - with things on the rise again this year
Volunteers say that desperate owners are turning to them for help - with many fearing they will have to give their animals up as they cannot afford to care for them
Roughly 70 per cent of pet owners are worried about the cost of caring for their animal, new RSPCA research suggests, while up to 20 per cent are worried about how they are going to feed them
CEO Elvira Meucci-Lyons said that demand for these packages increased fourfold in 2023 compared with 2022 - with things on the rise again this year.
'It's getting worse and worse,' she said.
'The need for our support is beyond what we can service at the moment, but we're doing our best.
'The people who come in are often those who just love their animals so much that they'll do anything to help them.
Brent Foodbank, also in north west London, has seen similar issues. The organisation has long offered food bank services to people via The Trussell Trust, but recently started offering help for pets too
Matthew Linden, a volunteer, explained: 'People needing food banks has been on the rise since the pandemic, but I'd say we've seen a rise in requests for help with pets in the last two years - when the cost of living crisis really started to hit'
'So we do see people choosing between feeding themselves and feeding their pets.
'That's a reality.'
Ms Meucci-Lyons added that some owners become so desperate that they bring their animals to the charity to give them up.
But Mayhew does everything it can to keep pets and owners together.
'I think a lot of people thought things would be better by now, but they're still incredibly difficult and so they start to panic,' Ms Meucci-Lyons explained.
'So some people say they have to give up their pets because they can't afford to take care of them - but we try to offer support first so that this doesn't have to happen.
'Just last week, one very upset lady rang us and said she had to give her cat up because she didn't have the money to feed it.
'But we offered her help and gave her our care packages, and she has been able to keep her cat.
While pet owners worry about how they'll feed their beloved animals, fat cat vets make huge profits at the expense of concerned
