Britain Sees Sharp Rise In Unwanted Pets

LONDON (Reuters Life!) - The number of unwanted pets taken in by Britain's Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) increased sharply over the last year, the animal charity said on Monday.

The number of pets left with the RSPCA rose to 9,506 last year, up more than 44 percent from 2005.

Cats were the most unwanted -- almost 3,000 were rescued, more than double the number of unwanted dogs.

The director of the RSPCA's Harmsworth Hospital, David Grant, told the BBC some of the animals were in a shocking condition, sometimes near to death.
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"Other times they're frightened, hungry, dehydrated. You name it, we see it," he said.

The overall number of domestic, wild and farm animals taken in by the RSPCA rose to 146,509 from almost 139,000.

"We rescue a staggering number of animals from a wide range of difficult, distressing and often surprising situations each year," said Andy Foxcroft, chief officer of the RSPCA inspectorate.

"But what strikes me particularly about our latest figures is the huge number of animals we rescue simply because their owners no longer want them."

Foxcroft said he hoped that the new Animal Welfare Act, which means owners are legally obliged to care for their pets, would help to reduce the number of unwanted animals.