Nearly 90 per cent of professionals supporting domestic abuse survivors believe a pet is a barrier to survivors seeking safety, a leading animal welfare charity has said.
New data from charity Cats Protection shows many cat owners unable to leave an abusive relationship due to the fear of what may happen to their beloved pet if left behind.
For the study, Cats Protection acquired information from 409 respondents working within social care teams, domestic abuse organisations and helplines
They also found that almost nine in ten (87 per cent) of care professionals say they have experienced cases where cats or kittens have been threatened with harm by perpetrators.
As many as 78 per cent have disclosed that cats have been physically abused, while two in five (39 per cent) say they have been killed. Many owners have expressed they have been unable to leave their homes out of fear for the wellbeing of their pets.
Cats Protection have collaborated with charity Refuge who are offering safety from domestic abuse via Cats Protections Lifeline services. They have received support from the likes of actress Dame Joanna Lumley and TV presenter, Wendy Turner-Webster in urgent calls for more volunteer cat fosterers to come forward.
Ms Lumley said: “Amidst the challenges faced by survivors of domestic abuse, the bond between a person and their beloved pet can be a beacon of hope and comfort.”
A mural painted by artist 7th Pencil in Waterloo’s Leake Street Arche, which maintained security around the area last week, follows the charities’ collaboration. They noted it “showcases the special bond owners have with their feline friends.”
Amy Hyde, National Lifeline Manager at Cats Protection told the Standard: “We created the mural alongside Refuge to highlight that there is support out there for both people experiencing domestic abuse through services like Refuge, but also for their cats as well through life lines.
“Cases can be really emotional and we’ve also come across children going into refuge. One of the nice parts of our role is we’ll quite often receive little pictures that the children have drawn of their cat that they want to send in to show to it.
“And we also keep the family updated of how the cats getting along whilst they are in care. So we'll keep them in foster care, normally for anything between six to nine months whilst the survivor is receiving support and is finding new housing. But we have been receiving so many calls so the Lifeline service is seeing one of its busiest times right now.”
The Cats Protection Lifeline service, with the support of Refuge, has reportedly expanded. Last year it expanded from running in the Southeast to East Anglia, Yorkshire and the Midlands. A further expansion this year has also seen it cover Scotland and Wales.
It follows one of the busiest times for the charity which came in January, when Lifeline received 104 referrals - up 74 per cent from the previous year - with 98 of these coming from homes in the Southeast of England.
