Reports of animals being abandoned have sky-rocketed in Cheshire this year.

That is according to the RSPCA, who have been alerted to 10% more incidents in the first 10 months of the year.

Up to the end of October, 385 reports of an animal being abandoned or dumped were raised with the charity's emergency line – up from 350 in the first 10 months of October 2024. 

 With temperatures dropping, the RSPCA has launched an urgent appeal – The Big Give Back to Animals – to help support the work of their frontline officers.

RSPCA superintendent Simon Osborne said: "It's been an incredibly challenging year for many pets, and we have seen a dramatic and heartbreaking rise in abandonments this year.

"And with winter upon us, with plummeting temperatures and dark nights, we fear things could get even harder in the months to come.

"There's an epidemic of animal abandonment and neglect, meaning our officers are needed now more than ever to respond to those animals in the most urgent need of help."

Tabitha, who is up for adoption at RSPCA Macclesfield, was abandoned outdoors by her previous owners (Credit: RSPCA)

Across England and Wales, 24,270 abandonment incidents have been reported so far this year - a rise of almost 23 percent compared with the same period last year (19,727).

That means in the first ten months of this year, an abandonment incident was reported to the RSPCA's emergency line every nine minutes it was open.

 Last winter (November to January), the charity received 5,902 reports of animal abandonment, with 101 of these coming from Cheshire.

Simon added: "Times are tough, right now – and animals are paying the price. Reports of abandonment are set to reach their highest mark in at least six years, and the worst could be yet to come as we enter a grim winter period. 

"But animals are sentient; they feel joy, fear, love and pain, just like we do. They give us so much, and ask for so little. Sadly, without help, many animals will die this winter – scared, suffering, and unloved.

"Thankfully, there is hope - and I am so proud of the RSPCA's efforts to help dumped pets survive, heal and thrive, and go onto a better life. Every year, we find loving new homes for tens of thousands of pets, and rescue countless animals from situations of hopeless cruelty and neglect.

"But none of this work is possible without the kindness and generosity of our supporters. Every pound and penny people give goes towards creating a better world for every kind of animal."

More information on the RSPCA's 'Big Give Back to Animals' can be found on the charity's website.