Food Banks for Pets Show Inflation in UK Reaching Cats and Dogs

Charities deliver thousands of extra meals for animals
The price of pet food has jumped almost 15% since January

Pet owners struggling with Britain’s soaring fuel and energy bills are increasingly turning to food banks -- not for themselves, but for their furry companions.

Animal charity RSPCA provided meals for 19,500 dogs and cats in the north of England last month, up from around 9,000 in January. In the south of Wales it’s a similar story with Pet Foodbank Service delivering 46,000 meals for animals so far this year, 25% more than during the same period of 2021.

In some instances owners are desperate enough to feed their pets pasta or rice. There’s also a rise in the number of pets being abandoned because their owners can’t afford to keep them. On average the cost of pet food at the UK’s four biggest supermarkets has risen almost 15% since January, according to data from retail research firm Assosia.
It’s a bleak sign of how the highest inflation in four decades is impacting the welfare of British consumers and weighing on those with the most mouths to feed. For many people it’s a change in circumstances after they bought or adopted pets during the pandemic to make the most of lockdown living.

“People are really struggling to afford to pay their bills, to feed their families and to feed their pets,” said Alison Fletcher, food bank coordinator at the RSPCA. “It’s getting to the point where people are having to make really difficult decisions whether they feed their pets over buying food for themselves.”

Owners are abandoning their pets due to the cost of maintaining them. In one instance 20 puppies were found in a crate in Essex late last month. The RSPCA has seen a rise in animal abuse since the start of the pandemic and is concerned that the cost-of-living crisis will lead to more cruelty and mistreatment.