Accurate UK-wide information on the number of unwanted healthy animals in difficult to obtain.
Unwanted animals taken into the care of the RSPCA
In an attempt to get an idea of the scale of the problem, RSPCA figures were combined with those of seven other animal welfare organisations and local authority information on the number of animals rehomed in 2009. The collective figure was more than 200,000 animals.
Over the past five years the number of healthy animals entering RSPCA care has remained relatively constant between 70,000 and 75,000. This indicates that RSPCA animal rehoming centres are working to full capacity the majority of the time and suggests that there is a continuing problem with unwanted animals.
For more information, read the 'unwanted pets' animal welfare indicator.
