Kent RSPCA warn of 'overwhelming' capacity crisis
Rescue teams are struggle with rising cases of multiple animals
Animal lovers in Kent are being urged to consider adopting or fostering as the RSPCA warns it has more animals in its care than space in its centres and branches.
The charity recorded 105 cases involving 10 or more animals at a single address across Kent between January and August 2026.
There were 188 such cases in the county during the whole of 2025.
Staff at RSPCA Leybourne Animal Centre in West Malling are looking for homes for rescued pets, including dogs Jude, Sweetpea and Philip.
The charity says many animals rescued from households with large numbers of pets need rehabilitation for behavioural or medical problems, making experienced and patient adopters particularly important.
RSPCA chief executive Jo Rowland said:
“We are struggling and we urgently need help.
Our frontline officers are finding dozens, even hundreds of animals in need at single addresses.
“We are getting amazing support from other animal charities and our brilliant network of RSPCA branches but we are all under immense strain.
“Animals who have come from homes like this often have behavioural and medical needs, due to the environment they had been living in and need a little more care and understanding.
We need to get pets out of our centres and into loving homes so we can continue to rescue.”
Caring for 'multi-home' Rescues
Speaking to Greatest Hits Kent, Kennel Supervisor at Leybourne Animal Centre said:
"When we have these multi animal cases come through to us, it just means that huge on the ground task of of finding places for them.
"So we work very closely with other branches of the RSPCA as well as other animal charities that are very good at supporting us and helping us take the burden of finding spaces for all these animals."
"What we're asking from the public is really just to look at the dogs that are in rescue. And all the animals have very much individual needs.
"If you're unable to adopt for any reason, then fostering is something that we would very much love to explore with you."
Leybourne animal care assistant Hayley Proud added that it can take animals from 'multi-animal' homes longer to adjust to their new environments:
"They just don't know when their next meal's going to come. Everything hasn't been that predictable for them.
"It's been very isolated in a home with loads of other animals, and then their whole world gets turned upside down when they come into kennels.
"They have to learn the new everyday routine that we do here, it's it's sort of treating them like they're a puppy. Exposing them to new things, food, toys. Sometimes they haven't even had toys.
"So, they can be overprotective over toys or overstimulated with now having all of these things.
"So it's building up a lot. It's a lot of rehabilitation on these dogs that have come from these homes."
But, she added that finding them their forever homes once they had become accustom to the world was 'why they do the job'.
More animals arriving than being adopted
Across England and Wales, the RSPCA recorded 3,280 cases involving 10 or more animals at one address between January and August 2026.
That is an average of 410 cases a month, compared with the charity’s reported monthly average of 355 in 2025.
The RSPCA says it has more than 7,000 animals in its care at any one time.
Its branches and centres rehome almost 70 animals a day, but rescued animals are arriving faster than they are being adopted.
More than 1,000 animals are also in private boarding kennels, catteries and stableyards, waiting to move into branch and centre care before they can be rehomed.
The charity says cases involving large numbers of animals can arise for different reasons, including financial pressures, poor breeding practices or owners becoming overwhelmed when animals are not neutered.
It is encouraging anyone struggling with the number of animals in their household to contact an animal charity for advice and support.
How people can help
The appeal is part of the RSPCA’s Adoptober campaign, which encourages people to adopt rescued animals during October.
Veterinary group inspiring vet care is supporting the campaign by sharing animals’ stories through its practices and funding veterinary care and support for owners in need.
Dave Martin, the company’s group director of animal welfare, said:
“The conditions that some of these animals are removed from can be shocking, but animals are very resilient and with love, care and patient rehabilitation can go on to make excellent pets in the right homes.”
People interested in rehoming Jude, Sweetpea or Philip can complete an online application form through the RSPCA’s website.
The charity is also asking people who cannot adopt to consider fostering or sharing profiles of animals looking for homes.