90% of domestic abuse professionals say pets a barrier to victims seeking safety

The percentages from this study are mind boggling. The picture painted is that when a woman is being abused by her partner, if she is the caregiver of a cat, the cat is exposed to violence too and sometimes killed or the abuser threatens to harm the victim's cat in 90% of the cases.

Cats Protection mural at Leake Street Arches in London

Here is the story:

Nearly 90 percent of professionals aiding domestic abuse survivors consider a pet to be an obstacle to seeking safety, according to a prominent animal welfare charity. Recent data from Cats Protection reveals that numerous cat owners are hindered from exiting abusive relationships by the concern for their pets' fate if abandoned.

The study involved Cats Protection gathering data from 409 individuals employed in social care, domestic abuse agencies, and helplines.

Additionally, they discovered that nearly nine out of ten (87 percent) care professionals have encountered situations where perpetrators have threatened cats or kittens with harm.

As many as 78 percent of respondents have reported physical abuse of cats, and 39 percent have indicated that their cats have been killed. Numerous owners have stated they feel trapped in their homes, concerned for their pets' safety. Cats Protection has partnered with the charity Refuge to provide a haven from domestic abuse through the Lifeline services offered by Cats Protection. This initiative has garnered support from celebrities such as Dame Joanna Lumley and Wendy Turner-Webster, who have made urgent appeals for additional volunteer cat fosterers.

Ms. Lumley stated, "Amid 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."

Following the charities' collaboration, a mural by artist 7th Pencil in Waterloo's Leake Street Arche, which ensured security in the area last week, was unveiled (see picture above). It was noted that the mural "highlights the unique bond owners share with their feline companions."

Amy Hyde, National Lifeline Manager at Cats Protection told the Evening Standard newspaper: 

“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, supported by Refuge, has expanded its reach. Last year, the service extended from the Southeast to East Anglia, Yorkshire, and the Midlands. This year, it has further expanded to include Scotland and Wales.

This expansion comes after a particularly busy period for the charity in January, when Lifeline received 104 referrals, a 74 percent increase from the previous year, with 98 of those from the Southeast of England.

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P.S. please forgive the occasional typo. These articles are written at breakneck speed using Dragon Dictate. I have to prepare them in around 20 mins.