Swiftlydoesit Life & Insurance

Credit crunch hits our beloved pets

June 2nd, 2008

I read a really sad article the other day that there have been some surprise victims to the current credit crunch. Apparently as people struggle to cope with the rising cost of living, pets are being abandoned.

Many animal rescue centres are reporting a huge increase in the number of pets being brought to them. Vanessa Eden, a worker at the RSPCA said “We have people bringing in their pets because they can no longer afford to pay their energy bills, let alone vet bills or pet food.” The RSPCA are reporting a 23% increase in the number of pets abandoned in 2007 compared to the previous year. The Independent reports that last year the RSPCA was forced to rescue 7,346 animals that had been abandoned by their owners. 2,621 have already been picked up in the first four months of 2008 alone.

Apparently the average cost of looking after a dog for its lifetime is nearly £10,000 which is a big expense so you have to be sure that you can commit to that when first deciding to have a pet.

People may also be deciding to abandon their pets due to the expensive vets bills but this needn’t be the case. There are some great deals on pet insurance with some policies starting from as little as £5.00 a month, the equivalent of a bottle of wine or a portion of fish and chips. So don’t give up on your pets if you are worried about pet insurance costs, shop around and you will find some great deals.

The BBC Online reported that two-thirds of cat owners said that curling up with their pets was the best way to beat stress and I remember reading reports that many people preferred spending time with their pets rather than their partners.

So as the credit crunch worsens maybe we will start to see abandoned partners too!

Entry Filed under: Finances, pets