Preventing animal cruelty

Every animal deserves to be treated with kindness and respect. Preventing animal cruelty and neglect is at the heart of everything we do. But we need everyone to radically rethink how we see and treat animals, to create a better world for every kind.

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Empowering the public

Our specialist RSPCA rescue teams are out every day to help stop animal abuse and neglect.

Unfortunately, we can’t reach every animal in need, so we work with people, partners, communities and organisations to help as many animals as possible. We provide advice and support to empower people to help sick and injured small animals themselves, help them better care for their pets and know what to do to support animals in their neighbourhoods.

We provide support to pets in need through our pet food banks and Community Paws events, and have advice for owners on how to care for pets through the cost of living crisis.

We also offer more targeted support, often working with partners, to help specific communities or tackle issues like hoarding.

Our education work, through our three education hubs, schools and our education website and resources, helps inspire new generations to treat animals with kindness and respect.

Supporting communities

Since our food bank partnership started, we’ve provided pets in need with more than two million meals and, in 2025, helped more than 70,000 people feed their pets.

Working with partners we also run Community Paws events, providing free pet food, advice, pet health checks, basic treatments, vet vouchers and other essential items to owners affected by the cost-of-living crisis. In 2025, we helped nearly 2,000 people through these events.

Our network of 130 branches supports local communities with vital animal welfare work, offering advice on neutering, microchipping and offering subsidised animal treatments, as well as rehabilitating and rehoming thousands of animals.

2 million meals

provided to pets in need from our food banks since we began


70,000 people

helped from donations to our food banks in 2025


2,000 people

helped via our community paws events in 2025

RSPCA staff member handing a pet food bank package to a member of the public.

The cost of living crisis has left many owners struggling to care for their pets. Our pet food banks are a vital lifeline to keep loving owners and their pets together through difficult times.

Sakura Anderson, RSPCA Head of Operational and Food Bank Partnerships 

Teaching kindness to create change

Education is central to preventing cruelty and neglect. We’re inspiring the next generation to treat all animals with kindness and respect. Understanding what animals need and want helps us all make kinder choices.

Among the ways to prevent animal cruelty are our education website and resources, used by schools, families and educators to teach everyone to be kinder to animals. This includes our Duke of Edinburgh Bronze and Silver activities for young people.

Our three education hubs in Birmingham, West Hatch and Stapeley Grange run community programmes to support and help children and families learn how to be compassionate towards animals.

Pet Education Partnership

Through the Pet Education Partnership, with eight other animal welfare charities, we’ve reached more than one million children, helping them to better care for and stay safe around pets.

Changing laws and behaviours

We’re working with campaigners, partners, and policy makers to change laws, industries, attitudes and behaviours. We carry out campaigns to raise awareness about the challenges animals face, help people understand what they can do to help animals in their daily lives and change legislation to end harmful practices. We also use our expertise and experience to influence change through working with industries, universities and governments here and around the world.

We all have the power to change animals’ lives. It could be using your voice to help us campaign for better animal welfare, learning how to make your neighbourhood friendly for wildlife, or discovering how making small changes to your diet can help transform farmed animals’ lives.

RSPCA staff hand in a petition against the use of carbon dioxide (CO2) for the slaughter of pigs.
RSPCA staff hand in petition against the use of carbon dioxide (CO2) for the slaughter of pigs to Number 10 Downing Street.