A Leicester based animal rescue centre is expecting to see an increase in animals arriving at the centre who are given away as owner’s struggle to look after them.
The RSPCA Woodside Animal Centre currently houses over 150 animals including rabbits, dogs and cats.
Normally after Christmas, the centre says they see an increase in animals arriving as owners struggle with new pets which perhaps required more work than what they first imagined.
Ruth Lane, the centre’s chairwoman, said:
“So towards the end of January, beginning of February – as the pups and kittens get big and everyone’s back to school and work – you can find that it’s quite an issue as people aren’t totally aware of what they’ve taken on.”
Ruth now calls for owners to make sure they know their responsibility when getting a pet:
“It’s always worth thinking ahead and planning your pet.
“Obviously, if you’ve done your research, you know what need they’ve got, specific to the species,”
The centre has so far taken on 16 pets this month at the rate of two a day, although they have had some closures due to bad weather but the expect that number to rise at end of the month.
Last month, the centre was receiving more animals per day compared to January as they were given 98 pets in December.
