Overview
- Across England and Wales, 24,270 abandonment incidents were logged to the end of October, about 23% higher than the same period in 2024.
- During the first ten months of 2025, an abandonment was reported to the RSPCA’s emergency line roughly every nine minutes it was open.
- Regional pressures are mounting, with Staffordshire up to 1,697 reports from 1,533, Outer London at 1,031, Inner London at 666, and Shropshire rising 8.1% to 161.
- Recent cases underscore the strain, including a seriously ill dog left in a sports bag outside Finsbury Park Animal Hospital on October 19 and two kittens found tied to a fence in Craven Arms, one later euthanised.
- The charity has described an epidemic of abandonment, launched The Big Give Back to Animals appeal, and noted 5,902 incidents last winter as officers brace for further increases.