by Julie Dvořáková
Scottish Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SSPCA) is aiming to help pet owners struggling due to the cost of living crisis by providing ‘Pet Aid’.
As millions of households suffer significantly higher emergency bills and other necessary expenses, the Scottish SPCA is expecting an increase in animals suffering from unintentional neglect.
The charity fears that more and more pet owners across Scotland will not be able to pay for food or veterinary treatment.
“We want to be there to support those people who really need it, who clearly want to care for their animal but are struggling with in particular some of the costs involved, “says Kirsteen Campbell, the CEO of Scottish SPCA.
“The expectation is that these challenges will be present in Society for many years to come and we have not felt the worse of it yet here in Scotland.”
Pet Aid service was developed by the charity to support pet owners at an early stage so that people and animals can be kept together as much as possible.
Chris Forest, a man living in Edinburgh, told BBC Scotland that the food bank saved him from giving up his cats that help with his mental health. “The cats keep me going – they interact with me and get me up in the morning as they need to be fed. I am in a much better place having them”.
“Nobody should have to give up their pet because they are unable to afford the items they need”, stated Scottish SPCA when launching the campaign.
SSPCA is hoping to quickly expand Pet Aid to be offered nationally. At the moment, Pet Aid provides 16 food banks with boxes that contain a mix of dry and wet pet food. Accessories such as water bowls, leads or harnesses are also provided when possible.
“These items are sourced from existing donations that have been made to the Scottish SPCA in which the Society is unable to use these donations for animals in its care,” explains Campbell.
The Scottish SPCA promises to provide Pet Aid boxes on monthly basis to charities, such as Simon Community Scotland (SCS), which mainly focuses on supporting homeless people and provides rather humanitarian support.
However, when visiting SCS in Edinburgh, the staff was not aware of SSPCA’s Pet Aid and recommended getting in touch with a different organization, Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home.
Campbell said that SSPCA is aware of other animal welfare organizations that are supporting food banks in Scotland. “We are making sure we are working together and not duplicating resources and are aware of who is supporting where.”
SSPCA’s recent research in partnership with the RSPCA Kindness Index found that 69% of pet owners in the UK say looking after their pets is more expensive than it was last year. 72% then stated they think the increasing costs of living will impact their animals, and 28% are worried about being able to care for their pets, due to the crisis.
Donating to Pet Aid is now possible via Amazon Wishlist or collection points located at selected supermarkets.