Pet Welfare
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Stray Cats
Microchipping and Neutering
Thousands of pets are lost every year, and many never reunited with their families, but microchipping can change that. It's quick, effective and permanent and a quick scan reveals all information needed to contact the owner.
For this reason it's extremely important to be sure the chip is registered, and that you keep your details up to date at all times.
Cats, dogs, rabbits and horses can be chipped- check with your vet.
It is a legal requirement for all dog owners in the UK to have their dogs chipped (a fee of up to £500 can be payable otherwise), and work is ongoing to try to make this the same for cats.
It costs around £15 to microchip your pet- but there are numerous charity and council events where this can be free, and RSPCA Barnsley also do this from time to time.
All pets re-homed by the RSPCA are microchipped, neutered and vaccinated.
All pet owners have a legal responsibility to meet all of their animals' needs, under the Animal Welfare Act 2006.
It is considered responsible to have cats, dogs, rabbits, ferrets and other small pets neutered.
Every year, the RSPCA and other animal charities are inundated with female cats living on the streets, either pregnant or desperately trying to feed their starving babies, when they are hungry and homeless themselves.
It's often down to owners of both male and female cats failing to have their cats neutered at all- or at a young enough age.
When owners don't want these or can't cope they often get thrown out onto the street to fend for themselves.
The lucky ones end up with us. The rest become the never ending, hungry, stray and feral population.
There are other benefits of neutering too
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Reduces the risk of stealing for breeding
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No vet fees for caring for kittens
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No unwanted attention from male cats whilst in season (this can be 3 weeks)
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Neutering in males can reduce aggression in males and spraying
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Reduces roaming in males (FACT: a male 'in tact' cat can travel 5 miles looking for females, crossing busy roads)
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Prevents risk of testicular cancer in males and uterus infections in females
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It is not true that any female needs or wants to have a first litter for any reason
If you are on a very low wage, please contact us for help.
Financial Assistance
Emergency Pet Food Assistance
If you suddenly find yourself in a position where you are struggling to provide enough food for your cat or dog because of a change in your financial situation, we may be able to help you in the short term.
If you would like to find out more about our emergency pet food assistance, please contact us, in confidence of course, using the General Enquiries contacts here. You can Phone or email.
Financial Help with Vet Fees
Occasionally, we may be able to offer urgent financial assistance (welfare) to a person who is financially unable to pay for the treatment at that time, where there is risk to the life of an animal, in order to help alleviate suffering of the animal due to no fault of the owner. The owner will be asked to pay towards the costs of the vets fees and provide proof of their benefits.
Any requests will be considered on a case by case basis, and if we are satisfied that you have first looked into help from friends and family, PDSA assistance, pet insurance and Veterinary Payment Plans, and that you are on a low income.
If we can help, we can cover the cost of an initial consultation with a vet, or initial emergency treatment to prevent any pain or suffering of the animal.
Any further costs accrued cannot be covered by us.
Rehoming a Pet
As a Branch, our priority is to support the local inspectorate, fostering and re-homing abused or neglected pets which they bring to us as a result of emergency calls taken at the RSPCA National Society Cruelty Line.
Please note that if we do have space to take in an animal, and are satified that other options have been considered, the animal must be neutered and fully up to date with vaccinations - or you must cover these costs beforehand.
MISSING PETS
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If you have lost or found a dog, call the Dog Warden on 01226 773555.
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Call all the vets in your area to give them a description of your missing pet for their records.
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If your pet is microchipped, call the chipping company on your paperwork so that they can flag your pet up as missing if it's found and scanned.
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Call Barnsley Lost and Found list on 01226 285662
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Call Barnsley Council in case your pet has been picked up by them following a road traffic accident.
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There are several local Facebook groups dedicated to missing pets who can sometimes get very good results.
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Print leaflets to deliver to all the doors in your immediate area, with a contact number, photo and asking people to leave their out-house and garage doors open for a short while in case your pet is trapped. This is always worth persuing thoroughly in the case of missing cats.
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Ask local shops if you can put up a poster with that same information.
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Ask the postman to keep an eye out for your pet and give him/her a photo.
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If you have information that the RSPCA may have picked up your pet, call the cruelty and advice line 0300 1234 999.
If you would like to have a missing or found pet featured on this website, please fill in the form on the right.
Ideally we need a photo. Even if your pet looks distinctive to you, one cat or dog can look very much like the next to other people. Have your photo ready for when we contact you.
All personal information you share with us is confidential.
We know you're worried.
Please bear in mind that we're all volunteers so we are stretched, but we also all have pets we adore, so we'll do our best to help you as quickly as we can.
