THE RISE OF THE PET FOOD BANK
People are 'choosing between feeding themselves and their pets', a charity chief has warned.
As the cost of living crisis continues to put pressure on people's finances, food banks dedicated to cats, dogs and other animals are on the rise.
Volunteers say that desperate owners are turning to them for help - with many fearing they will have to give their animals up as they cannot afford to care for them.
Roughly 70 per cent of pet owners are worried about the cost of caring for their animal, new RSPCA research suggests, while up to 20 per cent are worried about how they are going to feed them.
At Mayhew Animal Home in Kensal Green, north west London, volunteers provide 'pet care packages' which include anything from food to toys, or medicine.
CEO Elvira Meucci-Lyons said that demand for these packages increased fourfold in 2023 compared with 2022 - with things on the rise again this year.
'It's getting worse and worse,' she said.
'The need for our support is beyond what we can service at the moment, but we're doing our best.
'The people who come in are often those who just love their animals so much that they'll do anything to help them.
'So we do see people choosing between feeding themselves and feeding their pets.
'That's a reality.'
Ms Meucci-Lyons added that some owners become so desperate that they bring their animals to the charity to give them up.
But Mayhew does everything it can to keep pets and owners together.
'I think a lot of people thought things would be better by now, but they're still incredibly difficult and so they start to panic,' Ms Meucci-Lyons explained.
'So some people say they have to give up their pets because they can't afford to take care of them - but we try to offer support first so that this doesn't have to happen.
'Just last week, one very upset lady rang us and said she had to give her cat up because she didn't have the money to feed it.
'But we offered her help and gave her our care packages, and she has been able to keep her cat.
'It's touching really, seeing the length to which the owners go.
'Even the fact that they consider giving their pets up shows they love them so much.'
Brent Foodbank, also in north west London, has seen similar issues.
The organisation has long offered food bank services to people via The Trussell Trust, but recently started offering help for pets too.
Matthew Linden, a volunteer, explained: 'People needing food banks has been on the rise since the pandemic, but I'd say we've seen a rise in requests for help with pets in the last two years - when the cost of living crisis really started to hit.
'The thing is, pets are often as important to people as family members.
'And particularly for food bank users, who often suffer from social isolation, a pet may be your lifeline - your only other contact.
'But when people are also struggling to feed themselves, pay their rent, keep their lights and heating on, it becomes very difficult.
'Our mission is trying to make life easier for people - and if that includes helping their pets, we'll do that.'
Mr Linden said that many of the people who need help caring for their pets 'never thought they would be in this position'.
'When I first started volunteering here around five years ago, people who came in were, and I mean this sensitively, perhaps people you might expect to be here,' he said.
'But now, people come in who never dreamed that they would be in this position.
'There are a lot of feelings around that. There's surprise, embarrassment, sadness.
'But people are struggling to meet their needs. That's the reality.'
Although the charity wants to help as much as it can, Mr Linden admitted the funds only go so far.
'We've definitely had an increase in requests for cat and dog food recently, particularly cats, so we've started buying more in.
'But we can't do much more as we rely on donations.'
Ms Meucci-Lyons echoed that, adding: 'The cost of everything has increased for us too - food, vet bills, cat litter.
'So we're doing our best, but we have huge waiting lists that we can't meet.
'So I really want people to understand that as a charity, we need people's help.
'I understand if you can't afford to donate - people are really suffering right now. But spreading the word about what we do is just as valuable.'
But while pet owners worry about how they'll feed their beloved animals, fat cat vets make huge profits at the expense of concerned carers.
An investigation earlier this month revealed that veterinary fat cats are pocketing more than £500,000 a year and living in sprawling mansions.
Some of Britain's most successful vets are turning over hundreds of millions of pounds a year and a watchdog has announced a probe into whether consumers are being overcharged for animal care.
Pets at Home chief executive Lyssa McGowan has overseen a successful couple of years for the company's 448 Vets4Pets practices.
Pets at Home's vet practices each made an average of £1.1 million a year in revenue, according to the company's recent accounts.
Mrs McGowan joined the company in 2022 on a £580,000 salary and a maximum annual bonus worth 170 per cent of her salary, which would amount to nearly £1million.
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