Jump to how to get pet food from our pet food bank.
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We have the support of some wonderful foster carers who open their homes to needy pets and care for them until they are rehomed. Our employees and volunteers make sure our homeless pets get the training and veterinary treatment they need.
We also run our Home Direct Scheme from our Newport site, which means we can help people in the local area find new homes for dogs, cats, rabbits, guinea pigs, rats, mice, hamsters, gerbils, chinchillas and degus without them having to come into the unfamiliar surroundings of kennels. We can also work with local veterinary practices to find new homes for pets who need them.
Our Newport unit offers advice about pet care and rehoming, and free microchipping for dogs, cats and rabbits. The unit features interactive rehoming screens where people can browse details of our pets needing homes as well.
Home Direct
Our Home Direct scheme is for dogs, cats, rabbits and other small pets whose owners can sadly no longer keep them but don’t need to find them a new home straight away. Pets stay in their existing home until a new owner is found for them. All pets go through our careful assessment and matching process.
Pet food bank
No one should have to choose between feeding themselves and feeding their pet. We collect donations of pet food and other items for our pet food bank here.
If you're struggling to afford food for your dog, cat, or small pet, we’re here for you and will be happy to welcome you to our Blue Cross pet food bank.
How to get pet food
Hard times can happen to anyone, and with pets in the family there are more bowls to fill when money is tight. Anyone struggling to feed their pets can visit our pet food banks and collect the food they need. We won’t ask you for a voucher or proof of need and our team will welcome you without judgement.
Please call or email us to arrange a time to come and collect the pet food you need. Calling or emailing us in advance means we can get a package ready for when you arrive.
Our food bank supports dogs, cats, chinchillas, degus, ferrets, gerbils, guinea pigs, hamsters, mice, rabbits and rats, but we rely on donations so we can’t guarantee we’ll have stock for all pets at all times. Calling ahead means you can check our stock before coming down.
We can give you pet food and other items such as bedding and cat litter.
We may not have your pet’s usual food brand or type in stock when you need our help. We’ve put together some useful tips on feeding your pet in a crisis situation to help you manage this.
Please read our frequently asked questions for more information about using our pet food bank.
As well as running our own pet food bank on our site, we’ve also partnered with the food banks below so they can give out the pet food, bedding and other items we are donated.
For details of our partner food banks’ opening times, contact details and more information, please click the links below to be taken to their own website. Please note you may need a referral from a frontline professional, Citizens Advice, or a voucher to use our partners’ food banks. Blue Cross is unable to provide a referral.
How to donate pet food
We accept donations for our pet food bank here at any time during our public walk-in hours of 2.00pm to 4.00pm every day except Wednesdays. Please visit reception when you arrive and your items will be gratefully received. Each and every donation will help keep pets with their loving families.
You can also support us by donating funds to our pet food bank appeal.
The pets helped by our pet food banks are:
- cats
- chinchillas
- degus
- dogs
- ferrets
- gerbils
- guinea pigs
- hamsters
- mice
- rabbits
- rats
What we can accept:
- Wet or dry pet food in unopened tins, pouches or packets, including special diets eg senior, puppy, kitten
- Hay, straw and substrate for rabbits, guinea pigs and other small pets
- Litter
- Bedding
Sorry, but we’re unable to accept donations of the following:
- Dry pet food that’s over three months past its best before date
- Wet pet food that’s over three years past its best before date
- Open packets of food or litter where the contents have been exposed to the air. Open boxes containing individual pouches or tins are accepted as long as the pouches or tins are unopened.
- Food with damaged packaging, including dented tins, holes in sacks, grease spots on bags
- Raw food
- Food for humans
- Food or items for horses. We hope to be able to collect these soon.