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Cash-strapped pet owners are being urged not to abandon their animals in the street after The Blue Cross revealed it saw a spate of unwanted cats and dogs dumped in just one week.

Two cats were left outside one of the animal charity’s premises in London earlier this month with a heartbreaking handwritten note begging staff to care for them because the owner could no longer afford to.

The untidy scrawl claimed the two-year-old male and female moggies, who were abandoned on Friday 4 March, were loving and affectionate, adding, "I hate what I am doing".

Just four days earlier, three ginger male cats aged about one-year-old were also brought into The Blue Cross in a tatty cardboard box by a man claiming he had found a group of children trying to set fire to them in London.

In yet another incident in the same week, two eight-week-old Jack Russell terrier cross puppies, Violet and Winifred, were dumped in a box in Oxford town centre with a note saying "please take care of us" because their owner could "no longer cope". Happily the pair are now thriving and have already found new homes.

In the past year, more than one fifth (22 per cent) of the 6,460 animals taken in by The Blue Cross, one of the UK’s leading animal charities, have been stray or abandoned. Sixteen per cent of the animals brought in were handed over for financial reasons.

Experts at the charity, which has four animal hospitals in London and 12 rescue centres across the country, are urging owners who can no longer cope not to leave their unwanted pets to fend for themselves.

Mandy Jones, head of rehoming at The Blue Cross, said: "We know the recession is still having a big impact on people’s lives and it’s heartbreaking to think how desperate these owners must have been to give up their much loved pets.

"However, dumping helpless animals in a box in the street is not the answer. When we take in animals abandoned like this, we have no history of their previous care or medical needs which makes it harder to look after them and find them the right home.

"If someone can no longer care for their pet, for whatever reason, they should call us or another rescue centre for advice. Parting with a pet is an incredibly difficult decision but owners need to know they will not be judged for taking the responsible decision to hand over their unwanted animal."

The Blue Cross, which relies entirely on public donations, rehomes thousands of horses, dogs, cats and small pets through its network of adoption centres across the country each year. For more information about The Blue Cross or to make a donation visit www.bluecross.org.uk.

ENDS

Notes to Editors

· Images of abandoned pets and picture of note left in with cats attached.

· The Blue Cross animal charity provides practical support, information and advice for pet and horse owners. Through its network of small animal and equine adoption centres it rehomes thousands of animals each year. Its hospitals provide veterinary care for the pets of people who cannot afford private vets' fees.

· The Blue Cross also actively campaigns to improve all aspects of pet and equine welfare. The charity works with the government, schools and other organisations to create a greater understanding of responsible animal ownership and improve the lives of animals and their owners. For more information, please visit www.bluecross.org.uk.

Media contact:

Joanna Toscano, Media Officer, 020 7932 4063, Joanna.toscano@bluecross.org.uk