The number of cats and kittens being abandoned in the UK has soared by more than 30% this year, according to a leading animal rescue charity, which described the situation as a “deepening crisis”.

Last year Cats Protection helped a total of 184,000 cats, which equates to about 500 a day. However, the charity has launched an urgent appeal for donations as staff struggle with a 34% increase in abandonment cases in the first seven months of 2024.

“We understand that tough times can lead to heartbreaking decisions. However, abandoning cats puts them in great danger,” said Mike Elliott, feline welfare and operations director at Cats Protection, who said it had spent £50,000 on basic veterinary treatment in the first six months of the year. “Right now, abandoned cats are hungry, cold and afraid.”

The UK has long been considered a nation of pet lovers but lifestyle changes ushered in by the pandemic resulted in a dramatic increase in ownership with more than 3m households thought to have acquired a pet. Demand for puppies, in particular, boomed during the lockdowns.

However that boom has become a bust with animal welfare charities struggling to pick up the pieces, several years on, as households either struggle to care for pets or are unable to find the spare cash to cover food, pet insurance and vet bills, which have all gone up in price.

The rise in cats being made homeless comes amid growing scrutiny of the cost of pet ownership. The Competition and Markets Authority, the UK competition regulator, is probing the veterinary market after identifying areas of concern, including that pet owners could be overpaying for treatments and medicines.

With Britons now more circumspect about committing to a new pet, Cats Protection says it takes it 39 days to rehome an animal. “We’re in urgent need of support to ensure we can continue providing cats with the food, shelter and care needed to keep them safe,” said Elliot.

Cat ownership is actually falling in the UK, with a pet population of 10.6m, down from 11m in 2023, according to the charity’s annual Cats and their Stats (Cats) 2024 report. Recent research by the charity found that one in three cat owners feel “greatly impacted” by the current financial climate, with nearly one in five (18%) reducing spending on vital vet services, such as vaccinations or microchipping.

The problem is not confined to cats. The RSPCA is urging the public to consider adopting a pet instead of buying one, as the cost of living crisis has left its rescue centres “drowning in animals”.

The average length of time dogs, cats and rabbits are having to wait before someone adopts them has risen by almost a third over the past five years, from 31.7 days in 2019 to 41.4 days in 2023, according to new figures from the charity.

Consequently, many of its rehoming centres are bursting at the seams and unable to take in new animals. As a result the number of animals in private boarding has soared, which the charity says is costing it in the region of £500,000 a month.

Karen Colman, the RSPCA’s head of animal logistics and welfare oversight, said: “We’re currently facing an animal welfare crisis. Spaces at our rehoming centres are like gold dust. The longer rescue animals remain unadopted, the longer others have to wait for a space at our rehoming centres.”