Dogs and cats are loving life under lockdown, animal rescue charity says

Ellena Cruse16 May 2020

While some humans are struggling with life under lockdown pets are loving the extra company, according to Battersea Dogs and Cats Home.

From unlimited cat cuddles to double daily doggy walks, housebound animals are thriving as the majority of Brits work from home to avoid catching Covid-19.

The south London-based charity, which saw a multimillion-pound drop in its revenue stream redoubled its efforts to foster animals in the weeks leading up to lockdown.

Staff are currently caring for 60 pets leaving the number of furry occupants at just a fraction of their normal capacity.

Rob Young, head of centre operations said: “The animals are quite happy, the ratio of staff per animal is probably higher than it normally would be before the lockdown so all the dogs are getting at least two walks a day along with some socialisation, and all the cats are getting as many cuddles as they wish.

“Not all cats like a cuddle as you probably know.

Dogs have been enjoying extra attention during lockdown
AFP via Getty Images

“The dogs haven’t been walked off site because we didn’t want to risk it in that way. Otherwise we’ve got the paddocks, we’ve got the green areas within the three centres (London, Windsor and Brands Hatch) as well, so they’ve been getting a lot of attention. They’ve been quite happy.”

Mr Young said the charity was “inundated” with requests to temporarily foster animals as lockdown restrictions were introduced, and said they were concerned some pets would no longer be wanted as vast numbers of people were urged to work from home.

He said: “We were worried that we’d see a lot of animals abandoned at our door because of the situation that people find themselves in, but we’ve not seen that either.

A Battersea rescue handler with a dog in London
PA

“I think we’ve been pleasantly surprised with how the public has reacted quite responsibly and the great British public being the animal lovers that they are, I think they’ve responded really well. So we’re really pleased actually how it’s gone so far.”

The charity has now received clearance from Defra to begin rehoming animals, under strict conditions, while preparing to reopen properly when allowed to do so.

But despite the workaround, the pandemic has caused its revenue stream to be severely affected through a lack of key fundraising events such as marathons.

Mr Young said: “We expect to lose an awful lot of money over the course of this year. We think anything up to about £11 million over the next 12 months.

“So we’re able to carry on functioning as we always would. We have enough reserves to be able to care for our animals and look after our staff.

“But obviously it is a concern that we aren’t able to fundraise like we used to do, the same as everybody else.”

For more information on adoption, visit battersea.org.uk

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