Staff Reporter|Published
More Cape Town families are surrendering their pets to the Cape of Good Hope SPCA as mounting financial pressures leave owners struggling to afford even basic animal care.
The number of animals surrendered to the organisation rose by 43.7% in 2025/26 compared with the previous year, while the total number of stray, surrendered and seized animals entering its care increased by 12.3% to 27 181.
The pressure is also evident at the SPCA Animal Hospital, where visits by owners seeking affordable veterinary treatment jumped from 35 332 to 53 686, an increase of 51.9%.
For community animal welfare workers, these figures reflect the growing struggle among families who want to care for their pets but can no longer afford to meet their needs.
Financial pressure leaves pet owners struggling
Katja Mobitz from Happy Tails Langa said she had seen more residents asking for dog food, shelter and help with veterinary expenses.
“Most of them can’t really afford it anymore. The dog gets fed pap and maybe scraps and leftovers. No one’s got the extra money to sort out proper shelter,” she said.
Mobitz said unemployment and financial hardship were increasingly evident during her visits to the community.
The strain extends to veterinary care.
"I've seen people coming to the clinic, and they are told what the cost for the consultation is. They actually take their animal home untreated because they just can’t afford it, which is really sad,” she said.
“Obviously if we see it, we jump in… I often encounter an animal that is sick, but the owner just doesn’t have the means to take the animal for veterinary care. It’s being between a rock and a hard place; veterinary care can’t just be free for everyone, as I am not sure who is able to pay for it, but I wish it was."
SPCA calls for action to prevent animal suffering
The crisis comes as the SPCA warns that simply increasing its capacity to take in animals will not solve the underlying problem.
“When 27 181 animals are arriving at your doors and demand for affordable veterinary care has increased by more than 50% in a year, becoming better at taking animals in cannot be the answer,” said Cape of Good Hope SPCA CEO Mqabuko Moyo Ndukwana.
"We have to employ an upstream strategy today to change the conditions that will determine how many need us tomorrow.”
One of the key interventions is sterilisation, aimed at preventing unwanted litters and reducing the number of animals that may eventually end up on the streets or in shelters.
Mobile animal transport vehicle supports sterilisation drive
Last month, the SPCA launched a customised animal transport vehicle in Elsies River, with capacity for 20 animals.
The vehicle is designed to collect animals from communities for sterilisation, microchipping and vaccination before returning them home once they have recovered. The initiative forms part of a target to sterilise 10 000 animals.
The City of Cape Town has allocated R850 000 towards mass sterilisation in Subcouncils 4 and 6, which cover large parts of the Cape Flats.
But the need remains substantial. In Langa, 89.6% of pets are still unsterilised.
Mobitz believes sterilisation is essential to preventing future suffering, particularly among puppies born into households already struggling to provide for themselves.
“Sterilisation is the way forward for fewer unwanted puppies and animals that no one can afford to care for and who then become the strays and sick dogs of tomorrow," she said.
SPCA aims to sterilise 10 000 animals
In 2025/26, the SPCA performed 7 053 sterilisations, 11.5% more than the year before.
It is now driving towards 10 000 sterilisations in 2026 and has already sterilised almost 6 500 animals this year, leaving three months to reach the target.
According to the National Council of SPCAs, about four million of South Africa's estimated 18.6 million dogs and cats are homeless. Of these, approximately 3.4 million roam the streets, while 650 000 are in shelters.