Cruel summer: RSPCA warns animals in danger as calls about cruelty rise

It is incredibly worrying that still in 2021 we are seeing this high level of cruelty towards animals - which rises in the summer every year. 

We have seen dogs that have been beaten and burnt, cats that have been thrown across the room and punched, wildlife that has been attacked and even a case where a cat was put in an oven. Thankfully the majority of right-thinking people would find this kind of violence towards an animal unimaginable - but it still goes on and it is something the RSPCA is regularly investigating.  

The RSPCA is the only charity in England and Wales which is on the frontline rescuing animals from harm. Without our team of inspectors, many of these animals would remain in homes where they are scared and suffering, or die painful deaths without the help they need.

Sadly, we always see a rise in cruelty during the summer months. There are any number of reasons as to why this is happening but we suspect part of it is down to more people being out and about in the longer sunny days, seeing and reporting abuse.

Unfortunately, the hot summer days can lead to more people drinking alcohol in the sun which can be a factor in causing violence. Long summer holidays can lead to boredom and also could lead to more pressures at home; when the whole family is on holiday from school and work, existing difficulties in the home can be magnified. During these summer months, calls to our cruelty line rise, putting more pressure on our already stretched frontline rescue teams.

Police forces reported a rise in domestic violence last year during lockdown and we are concerned that similar pressures which led to this rise may also have impacted on more cruelty to animals behind closed doors during the pandemic.

The past year has seen a reportedly huge rise in pet ownership and we know most people would not dream of harming an animal. However, we are concerned that, as we come out of lockdown and people return to their jobs outside the home or suffer financial pressures, we will see more animals suffer if their owners find themselves unable to cope. 

We are urging people to support our campaign to Cancel Out Cruelty so we can all work together to end cruelty towards animals. 

We urge anyone who wants to report animal cruelty to us to call our hotline on 0300 1234 999.