Service supports owners to help feed their pets

A charity has helped pet owners by handing out almost 70,000 meals for their animals.

The Scottish SPCA’s Pet Aid service was set up in 2023 to help owners facing hardship due to the cost-of-living crisis.

They say they have seen helpline calls rise by 24% as more and more families face having to give up their pets.

The service aims to provide early help and preventative support for people who may be struggling.

New figures show that 66,895 meals for pets were handed out in 2024 alone – an average of 183 meals a day.

The service has helped over 8,335 owners and their pets across Scotland since its launch in 2023 and now operates 52 food banks and 48 donation points.

Scottish SPCA’s head of rehoming, fostering & community engagement, Jennie Macdonald, said: “We know that services like Pet Aid are providing a vital lifeline to thousands of people and their pets, and we are going much further in 2025 to bring this kind of early help and preventative support into communities across the country.

“No one should have to choose between feeding themselves or their pet, or struggling with their pets’ health or behaviour because they are frightened about having to give up their much-loved companion.”