A white kitten with ginger flecks on her face is cuddled by a Blue Cross employee. The Blue Cross logo can be seen on the employee's uniform.

About Blue Cross

We've been helping sick, injured and homeless pets, and the people who love them, since 1897.

Why we're here

Pets change lives. We change theirs.

Black and silver tabby cat Daisy leans into the right to be stroked on the head by her rehomer

We believe in a world where all pets enjoy a healthy and happy life with people who love them. 

Pets change people’s lives. They reduce feelings of loneliness, bring joy and laughter, and keep people healthy and happy. Our aim as an animal welfare charity is to ensure pets enjoy a good quality of life at all times.

Our values make us what we are - compassionate, courageous, inclusive.

Building on our heritage

Black and white image of a horse standing in front of a motorised horse ambulance

We’ve helped sick, injured and homeless
pets since 1897. We introduced the 
horse-drawn ambulance to London, opened 
the first animal hospital and pioneered the
use of animal behaviourists. View our history.

Our purpose is to help pets and people thrive
together. We aim to protect vulnerable pets, 
speak out for them and help those who care for 
them. We show the world how to treat pets with 
dignity and compassion. Join our campaigns.

What we do to help

Our expert services

We provide veterinary care, offer expert behavioural help and find loving homes for pets in need. We also offer pet advice to owners, keep pets and people together with our pet food banks and aim to look after surviving pets when their owners pass away.

See all our services

Our impact in 2023

Pets helped by our veterinary services

25,252

Pets helped by our rehoming teams

5,966

Pets fed for a day through our pet food banks

1,464,963

Pet Loss Support contacts answered

20,381

Visits to our pet advice pages

3,300,000

People reached through education

53,410
UK map of Blue Cross services

Support across the country

Our different services are available at locations in the UK:
 

55 charity shops
 

12 rehoming centres
 

4 animal hospitals
 

21 of our sites have pet food banks
 

View our locations

How we work

Keeping ourselves accountable

We are committed to responsible ways of working as well as animal welfare. Our board of trustees oversees our executive team to ensure we meet our commitments each financial year. We celebrate our diverse talents at every level.
 

Planning for the future

We’ve achieved so much but we have ambitions to increase the numbers of people and pets we help. We plan to extend the reach of our vet services, rehoming teams and Pet Loss Support service across the UK. See our vision for the future.