“I am writing to formally log a complaint about the appalling lack of compassion and support I received when I contacted your organisation for help regarding an injured animal.
While driving on the A47 just after the village of Morcott, I found a baby deer on the side of the road. It was still alive, but it was terrified and limp. I immediately pulled over and put my hazard lights on to protect it from passing traffic.
My attempts to get help were met with a complete bureaucratic failure. First I called 101, where it took a long time to get through before being told to call 999. When I called 999, the police made a fuss about whether we were in Nottinghamshire or Leicestershire, told me they were not trained to help in this case, and instructed me not to touch the animal. They ultimately told me to call the RSPCA.
When I finally reached your call handler, her behavior was entirely unprofessional, rude, and deeply upsetting. She complained that you were an hour away from the incident and rudely laughed at me when I asked for assistance. Instead of coordinating help, she told me to go find a vet on a Sunday. When I pointed out that my job as a member of the public was to report the emergency and try to protect the animal, and that coordinating help was her job, she brushed me off and transferred me to a vet.
The vet stated it was wildlife, claimed they had no staff to deal with it, and asked me to pick up the baby deer and bring it in myself. This was impossible: when I moved toward the deer, it became even more terrified and tried to run, and I could not risk causing an accident on a busy road. Furthermore, I had my dog in the car with me, and the police had explicitly told me not to touch the animal, leaving me with completely conflicting and confusing information.
When I explained I could not transport it, your call handler coldly stated that the deer was just going to "stay the way it is" and made a callous remark about utilising it, which clearly implied leaving it to suffer or be put down. The police never even showed up to help.
It is heartbreaking that an organisation supposedly dedicated to animal welfare left a suffering baby deer to its fate while treating a concerned citizen with utter contempt and disrespect. Because of this deeply distressing experience, I will never donate a single penny to the RSPCA again, and I expect this matter and the conduct of your call handler to be properly reviewed”
“On 4 June 2026, I made initial contact regarding a dog that appeared severely underweight, dehydrated, and heavily infested with fleas/ticks and potentially worms. During that contact, I was directed to submit further information and photographs via a link, which I promptly did. At no point was I provided with clear guidance regarding the correct process for handling a stray or neglected animal.
Based on my experience and understanding, I acted in good faith:
The dog was found on 31 May 2026 in poor condition.
Due to the circumstances (Sunday and limited local services), we arranged for the dog to be seen by a vet at the earliest available appointment on 4 June 2026.
Our intention was to ensure the animal received care, was checked for a microchip, and that any neglect would be identified by professionals.
At the veterinary clinic:
The dog was scanned for a microchip and returned to the owner.
A full health check was not conducted, despite the dog’s visible condition.
The dog’s condition (prominent ribs and hips, flea infestation, possible worms) strongly indicated longer-term neglect, inconsistent with the owner’s claim the dog had only been missing since 30 May 2026.
On 9 June 2026, I received a follow-up call from an inspector. During this interaction, I experienced the following concerns:
Lack of Clear Public Guidance
I was told there is a “correct process” requiring animals to be taken immediately to a vet or the RSPCA, and that members of the public should not provide care such as food, water, or flea treatment.
This contradicts common understanding and was never communicated during my initial contact.
Dismissive Communication
When attempting to provide further relevant information, I was interrupted and not given the opportunity to fully explain the circumstances. This limited the accuracy and completeness of the report.
Tone and Professional Conduct
The tone used during the call was unnecessarily harsh and authoritative. As someone trying to assist an animal in distress, I found this inappropriate and discouraging.
Concerns Not Adequately Addressed
I raised concerns regarding:
The apparent neglect of the animal
The lack of veterinary assessment before returning the dog to the owner
I was advised that the inspector could not investigate veterinary practices, which raises concerns about accountability when a potential welfare issue is not properly assessed.”
“Signed up to adopt a cat got a very dismissive email from them can’t be that desperate to rehome abandoned cats . Won’t be getting no donations from me either that’s for sure”
“I called the RSPCA beginning of December 2025 in regards to an abandoned cat that had given up all hope and waiting to die, they did nothing except tell me how to trap it and to take it to the nearest vet. I am disabled and struggled to trap the cat and take it to the vet but I had to as I could not leave the poor thing to die. The cat is still with me as there is no help from stray abandoned cats.
On Monday the 16/02/26 I contacted the RSPCA in regards to a seriously injured cat, the cat must have been hit by a car, it's hip bone was out of joint, it's leg was dangling and he was struggling to move. The RSPCA again left me to struggle to trap the cat and take it to the vet. The vet kept the cat as the cat was in survere pain, which did not seem to bother the RSPCA. They claim they are there for injured or sick animals, ask for donations and yet over the last 10 years they have been doing less and less for injured or sick animals. Animal sanctuaries seem to be doing less and less and people like me seem to be be doing more and more, why have they stopped caring for the animals.”
“To have a post removed just because someone didn’t like the truth is disrespectful.
But to speak to anyone at the call centres is unbelievably hard, in fact on Monday 19/01.26 I gave up!
You are putting ads on tv saying you care, yet there is nobody to actually speak to.
I had to paid ridiculous amount to remove 2 puppies. RSPCA were immediately informed of the conditions for the dogs, thought action would have been taken. But it’s impossible to get any feed back.
This is the 3rd time now the rspca has let me down, you won’t do it anymore .”
“Called them out for a dog being abused, took 2 days to contact me and tell me they couldn't attend, Dog was already dead.
This is one of thousands of stories, I really would like to know which animals they help because as yet they have said no to all that have needed them”
“I called RSPCA about a neighbour locking 2 birds up and covering up with no light and food and very dissapointed they gave my name
It’s not good how they handled this as it shouldn’t be given out as I wanted to be anonymous and up to date birds are covered and hardly any food given and the owner is missing for weeks , it’s sad how animals are treated this way how would you feel if your locked from air and light for days and weeks 😢😢”
“A near neighbour keeps dogs outside in all weathers with no shelter little food and on a yard covered in excrement . I have tried to report so have others rspca not interested at all . The dogs whine and cry all day .”
“I called the RSPCA to let them know that a puppy was locked up all day in a house. It was cring and begging g for help.
The RSPCA lady was rude and simply said call the council because it sounded like a noise complaint.
I thought that it was there job to investigate and help.
Absolute joke.”
“If you have any type of disability, do not deal with the rspca. All my dealings with them have been where they are rude, hang up on me, and raise their voices at me, all because I had too many dogs, and had to be in hospital for an extended time a good fifteen years ago. Will never again donate to there cause. Disgraceful ignorant and nasty.”
“Disgusting Fraudsters. Publish all over they help ferril cats but they wont come out to trap an injured one. but will bother themselves helping people cremate their dead dog WTF. as responsible pet owners they should have saved or took out insurance for that themselves! This cat has no-one and is unaprocahable and they are happy to knowingly leave it suffering.
their response ....... Thank you for contacting the RSPCA today. We appreciate your care for the cat's welfare. I'm sorry but based on the situation you have reported today we are not able to assign one of our front-line resources to attend to your concern. Sadly, we receive hundreds of calls every day - animals are facing huge challenges and we need our officers to focus on victims of cruelty and neglect. We have recorded the information you’ve provided and will keep it on record. Regarding possibly trying to trap the cat to get it the help it needs, you can contact your local council as some councils provide help with feral cats and cat traps. You can also contact other charities/organisations who may be able to help with trapping feral cats as well. Thank you for contacting the RSPCA”
“A complete bunch of charlatans! If they could make more money by selling white goods I'm sure they would change overnight.
We fostered a seized family dog under a legal agreement. She was delivered to us underweight, poor coat condition and suffering from a throat wound which she sustained whilst in their care. The day after her arrival the wound was swollen to the size of a golf ball, and upon draining, yielded just over 30ml fluid. When we informed the rspca of her spaying operation and that further information would be available in some 5 days after her next check up, an inspector phoned a couple of hours later for an update! We never heard from them again even after the 5 days had passed.”
“We have had an inspector remove a dog from a premises after a death, no information as to where the dog has been taken is available. The dog is still missing, we do have access to a Police log number, the address the dog was taken from and a date. We have given this information to the RSPCA and also contacted all the RSPCA kennels in Yorkshire and still no one is able to help. We have submitted enquiry’s, gone through chat and all other means of contacting and we are hitting brick walls. The next option is to seek legal and court action.”
“I live near an old building that used to be a school, and their was a cat crying for hours. All the neighbours were out trying to coax it down but it wasn't working. I decided to call the RSPCA, when a very rude woman answered the phone. I told her we couldn't get the car down from the roof as we had tried everything. I told her I thought it was injured because of the way it was crying, she abruptly told me ' if it got up there it can get down' then suddenly hung up. Later, a nice man came with a ladder. It turns out the cats bottom half (waist down) was trapped in the drain pipe and was definitely stuck. The RSPCA was NO HELP WHATSOEVER. Even the call holders attitude was disgusting. Wouldn't give them the time of day.”
“RSPCA Wacol Queensland
Turned up to see if a dog I saw online was going to be a good fit (former defence trainer) as a companion.
Told to fill out online paperwork before I could see dog, did that. Waited over 1 hour next to the information desk.
Old grey hair female who I saw berate multiple Asian women and saw me sitting patiently told me after I spoke with the young girl at information desk that I couldn’t see the dogs I was interested in as it was getting late…I know I was waiting. There was ample opportunity to address this sooner. She needs an attitude adjustment or put someone more customer service friendly in that role.”
“Has got to be one of the worst charity / organisations I’ve had the misfortune to request their services of.
A cumbersome website, only superseded in the deficiency by the unhelpful call taker, who’s main objective was to avoid any action to be taken in my report of a dog suspected in being neglected. I wouldn’t bother. Complicit in the suffering, unless a box is ticked where they are forced into action.”
