Image source: petforums.co.uk
Earlier this month, the UK headlines revealed that the country’s GDP has dropped for two consecutive quarters, meaning the UK is once again in official recession status. This means the majority of people have no choice but to tighten their belts and spend less on the things that aren’t essential.
Many people take great comfort in pets but it would seem that these furry friends might soon become a commodity that only the rich can afford to keep; at least that’s what the latest press release from Cats Protection – a feline charity based in East Sussex – suggests.
Image credit: fulwood.com
“The recession has been disastrous for the UK’s pets and, following the latest news of the UK entering a double dip recession, sadly the situation for cats shows no signs of improving”, said the charity’s Chief Executive Peter Hepburn. These three points taken from the Cats Protection press release support Hepburn’s concern:
- The number of people looking to adopt a cat fell by 31% (5,016 (2009) to 3,471 (2011));
- People wanting to give up a cat for adoption meanwhile increased by 14% (8,308 (2009) to 9,459 (2011)) and
- There was a 7% increase in the number of people reporting stray cats (6,924 (2009) to 7,426 (2011)).
These statistics were determined from the calls made to the charity’s main 03000 12 12 12 helpline number only, meaning the cat-astrophe could be even greater than these figures suggests, since each of the organisation’s 260 individual cat adoption centres receives hundreds of direct calls each year also.
It is hardly surprising that people are struggling to meet the costs of cats during these economically difficult times. A person struggling to meet their monthly electricity bill is hardly going to welcome the expenses of pet food and veterinary bills!
Would you go without in order to feed your pet? Would you be more inclined to adopt a cat if the economy was in a better state? Tell us in the comments below.
You can read Cats Protection’s full press release here.
creditmunchinfo 