We have witnessed a significant surge in calls from pet owners looking to give up their beloved animals, with a 24% increase in 2024, latest figures show.
Last year alone 4,779 people – an average of around 92 people every week – contacted us, Scotland’s animal welfare charity, seeking advice on what to do about giving up their pet.
This is often down to the ongoing difficult economic environment with many people worrying about being able to afford pet food and care, or simply not being able to cope with their beloved animal.
This ongoing issue signals the need to ramp up early support for people who may be struggling and prevent situations from spiralling.
We are expanding our grassroots work in communities across Scotland in response, with the aim of getting support in place to get ahead of issues before animals suffer and need to come into our care.
As a result of community work so far, latest figures show in 2024 alone we have helped 16,478 owners and their pets stay together with advice from our inspectors and help with essentials through our Pet Aid food services providing pet food and supplies to food banks across Scotland.
In addition, our community veterinary service Pet Aid Veterinary has provided much needed treatment for 489 animals, since its launch 6 months ago.
This innovative sister service to Pet Aid offers community veterinary support to help keep people and their pets together and reduce the need for animals to come into our care.
The project, which is being piloted in the Glasgow area, sees a community veterinary nurse team visit owners and their pets at home to carry out basic healthcare assessments.
Animals in need of more complex veterinary treatment can then be referred to our Glasgow centre.
Due to this change in how we provide veterinary care along with increasing animal behavioural support and improving adoption and fostering processes more animals than ever found loving homes in 2024.
We recently relaunched a ‘matching’ service for animals which helps match prospective adopters to animals, helping animals find their forever homes more quickly.
The latest figures have also shown that in 2024 there was a 13% increase in adoption, 30% increase in fostering and animals spending 30% less time in our care.
Scottish SPCA Chief Executive Kirsteen Campbell said; “It’s never been more clear that across Scotland there’s a desperate need to tackle the root causes of animal welfare issues and get help into communities before issues start to spiral.
Our inspectors and animal rescue officers do an incredible job on the frontline but too often they are seeing complex and sad situations where earlier help could have prevented an animal needing to come into our care.
“That’s why in 2025 we’re boosting our efforts to help people in communities across Scotland, changing the way we work and making sure our services are being directed to where they’re most needed so that we can help as many animals and people as possible to stay together.”
The latest Scottish SPCA figures have also shown that in 2024 costs have risen by 44% in the past three years. The Scottish SPCA is funded entirely from donations and receives no Government funding, it now costs over £25m a year to deliver its essential services for the animals and people of Scotland.
To read the impact of our work click here
