This is a good news story. I’d feared that there would be an increase in the number of cats and dogs abandoned because of concerns that they might spread coronavirus as there have been some very rare, reported cases of cats contracting the disease. It is also known that the disease can transmit it from cat to cat.
However, despite these reports and studies, the RSPCA in Britain report that cases of abandonment “are slightly lower than usual”. Great.
The bad news is that people are still abandoning their companion animals. This year they report that there have been 1,663 cases, 40 a day. The county of Durham has 52 reported incidents since the start of the lockdown.
The general feeling is that people are finding comfort in their companion animals during these difficult times and there has been an uptick of adoptions. However, some people still adopt cats and dogs too carelessly.
Many people are finding their pets are a real source of comfort in these anxious times and thankfully cases of abandonment are slightly lower than usual but it’s heartbreaking that some animals are being dumped during this crisis. – RSPCA
Just yesterday I was in the park for a walk with a friend and at the gates to the park where vehicles turn and are parked a young puppy was running wild on the road with the owner about 20 yards behind. She had made no attempt to put the puppy on a lead which was most definitely required at that time and place for the dog’s safety. She was empty headed in her approach to companion animal caretaking.
This is a downside of the lockdown. There may be more casual animal adoptions by inexperienced people who are ill-prepared to care for a cat or dog for many years. They want the animal for the duration of the lockdown to keep them company. What happens after that is unplanned.
The RSPCA information comes from Chronicle Live online.
