Reports of animals being abandoned have sky-rocketed, with incidents raised with the RSPCA seeing a 47 per cent increase in Gwynedd between 2024 and 2025.

The five counties that saw the biggest increase in abandonment incidents then are Blaenau Gwent (74 per cent increase), Merthyr Tydfil (55 per cent increase) Bridgend (52 per cent increase), Gwynedd (47 per cent increase) and Rhondda Cynon Taf (22 per cent increase).

Last winter (Nov-Jan), 5,902 incidents of animal abandonment were raised with the charity across England and Wales - and there are fears the upward trend of cases is set to continue this winter. There were 333 abandonment incidents last winter in Wales alone.

The RSPCA has launched The Big Give Back to Animals appeal to raise vital funds for its frontline officers.

Reports of animal abandonment had already reached their highest point in at least five years - and issues like the ongoing cost of living crisis mean animals need the RSPCA's support to "survive, heal and thrive" now more than ever.

RSPCA superintendent Simon Osborne said: “It’s been an incredibly challenging year for many pets, and we have seen a dramatic and heart-breaking 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.

“Sadly, animal abandonment has become so problematic and so tragically widespread, that we've seen more incidents every month this year when compared to 2024; and reports have been rising year after year.

“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.”

Overall in 2024, there were 23,564 abandonment incidents reported to the RSPCA across England and Wales - higher than in 2023, 2022, 2021 and 2020.

And that “depressing” trend will continue in 2025 - with calls already higher than the whole of 2024, and spiking amid the challenging backdrop of the cost of living crisis, economic uncertainty and people's increasingly busy lives.

The Big Give Back to Animals is raising vital funds for the charity, helping them to bring more abandoned and neglected animals to safety, where they can be given urgent care and treatment.

Simon added: “Times are tough, right now – and animals are paying the price. Reports of abandonment have already reached their highest levels in at least five 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.

Visit the RSPCA website for more information.