1.4 million pets dead, missing or injured whilst owners on holiday

April 1st, 2006

A recent report showed that in the last five years 1.4 million* of the nation’s dogs and cats, have died, disappeared or been seriously injured whilst their owners have been on holiday.

The Churchill Pet Insurance survey of 3,000 dog and cat owners and sitters shows that the nation’s obsession with pet care tails off when foreign travel is on the horizon.

Twenty eight per cent of the UK’s pets are foisted off onto substitute carers in the form of family and friends. While a further 3.9m** (29 per cent) dogs and cats will be left ‘home alone’, with only the automatic feeder or a neighbour occasionally popping in.

A third (33 per cent) of these stand-in carers claimed that they did not even want the responsibility of looking after their friend or family’s animal but felt that they had to help out.

Problems can often arise when unwilling stand-in carers ignore the owner’s guidelines:

Two in five (41 per cent) carers claim they simply adapt the owner’s vital instructions to fit into their own lifestyle
A further one in ten (11 per cent) say they use their own instincts instead of instructions
18 per cent of carers even admit to doing things they shouldn’t, such as feeding the pet scraps from the table.

Stand-in pet carers admitted to replacing over 50,000*** lost or dead pets whilst the owners were still away, to compensate for the loss. The guilt was so terrible that they thought that the owner would feel better if they had a replacement on their return.

Julie Owens, Head of Pet Insurance at Churchill added: “These figures clearly show that pets are more vulnerable when left with inexperienced carers. Owners must take steps to ensure that their pet is left with a professional carer who understands the needs of the animal.

“Part of responsible pet ownership is thinking about all aspects of the animal’s welfare. Ensuring that your pet is well looked after, safe and happy will give you peace of mind while you are away. With Churchill’s pet insurance, policy-holders can contact our helpline to find expert pet carers in their area.”

Other findings from the research:

2.2% of pets fell pregnant whilst their owners were on holiday
18.2% of pets piled on the pounds in the absence of their owner
12.2% lost significant amounts of weight whilst in the care of someone else
6.1% of pets forgot all of the training they had been given by their owners

Research commissioned by Churchill Insurance amongst 3,000 UK dog and cat owners and sitters during May 2005.

*1.4m = 10.6% of 13.5m dogs and cats in the UK according to Datamonitor UK Pet Insurance survey Aug 2004
**3.915m = 29% of 13.5m dogs and cats in the UK left at home with either a neighbour checking on them or the automatic feeder left on.
***52,920 = 0.7% of 7,560,000 (56% of the nations 13.5 million pets, who are left in the care of friends/family/neighbour whilst the owners are on holiday)

Entry Filed under: Pet Insurance