As part of the charity's Cancel Out Cruelty campaign, the RSPCA has revealed it received more than 100 reports of animals being abandoned every single day throughout 2021 and sadly these figures are on the rise this year.

A total of 38,087 abandonment reports were made to the charity's cruelty line last year - an average of over 3,000 reports a month, 104 a day or four abandoned animals every hour.

Heartbreakingly, the number of animals being dumped is also on the rise with a 17% increase from 2020 to 2021 and a 24% increase in 2022.

The charity fears that a huge rise in pet ownership during the pandemic coupled with the cost-of-living crisis putting a strain on people's finances means even more animals are being given up this year.

Dermot Murphy, Chief Inspectorate Officer at the RSPCA, said: “The idea of putting your cat in a cat carrier and taking them to a secluded spot in the woods before walking away, or chucking your dog out of the car and driving off leaving them desperately running behind the vehicle, is absolutely unthinkable and heartbreaking to most pet owners - but sadly we are seeing animals callously abandoned like this every single day.

“We understand that sometimes the unexpected can happen - the pandemic and cost of living crisis proved that - but there is never an excuse to abandon an animal. There are always other options for anyone who has fallen on hard times and can no longer afford to keep their pet.”

A recent report released by the RSPCA in partnership with the Scottish SPCA also showed that the cost-of -iving crisis is the most urgent threat to pet welfare in the UK.

Dogs were the most abandoned pet with 14,462 reports of dumped dogs made to the RSPCA last year.