Mealtimes bring great joy to pets across the nation with much drooling, tail wagging and excited anticipation of the bowl reaching the floor, but sadly, that isn’t the case for all households during the cost of living crisis.
That’s why Petplan and some of the UK’s leading animal charities have teamed up with FareShare to launch The Pet Food Partnership and help make mealtimes happy again.
While we all want the best possible quality of life for our pets, research shows that many people are now seriously worried about their means to provide it. In a survey of over 3000 cat owners in the UK, Cats Protection reported that a third of all cat owners felt greatly impacted by the cost of living and of owners spending less on their cats, 44% have reduced the amount of cat food they buy.
Every pet deserves healthy, regular meals, and no owner should have to worry about where the next feed is coming from – or miss the joy that feed time brings for our furry friends!! That’s why the UK’s number one pet insurer, Petplan, has teamed up with animal charities including Battersea, Cats Protection, Dogs Trust, and FareShare – the UK’s largest charity fighting hunger and food waste – to help keep food bowls topped up. Working with the UK pet food industry to secure food from leading manufacturers and retailers and distribute it to their network of 8,500 charities and community groups across the UK, Petplan has donated £100,000 towards the cost of distributing the food.
To date, more than 43,600kg of food, donated by Pets at Home, Lily’s Kitchen, Mars Petcare and Purina Petcare, has been made available – which adds up to more than 319,000 tasty meals for the nation’s hungry pets.
People impacted by the cost of living crisis can access this food via local foodbanks, charities, community centres, schools and other outlets. Pet owners who need a helping hand can start by contacting their local foodbank to check whether it offers pet food – many foodbanks are already doing so. However, if their local foodbank can’t help, pet owners should talk to local animal charities to see whether they can offer support or connect owners with other groups and organisations who can.
A nutritious, balanced diet is essential for keeping our pets content and thriving, and no pet owner should have to choose between feeding themselves and feeding their animal. With more and more families feeling the effects of rising household bills, this initiative hopes to reach as many homes as possible to support animal welfare and protect pets from the impacts of financial hardship.
Want to help us put food into bowls, bring joy back to mealtimes, and keep more pets happy and healthy? Find out more, including how to support the campaign, at www.petplan.com/about-petplan/charities/pet-foodbank, or scan the QR code!
