Lee Total twaddle with your reactionary comments about cats being "a lazy person's pet". Most cat owners take plenty of responsibility for their pets.
If you're so concerned about cats "pooing" in your garden, why don't you talk to the cat's owner? Or don't you talk to them? You sound Anti-social!

Nicola, Doncaster, S.Yorkshire

Bring back licensing, you should have to prove that you are capable of looking after a dog before being allowed to own one. There too many people with no sense when it comes to looking after animals in this country.

Lee, Poole,

The cat is the lazy persons pet. You have no responsibilties for it what so ever. Which makes it ok for them to poo on my lawn!
Cats are also responsible for over 500 MILLION wildlife deaths in the uk every year! Songbirds, protected species etc.
How can a cat owner claim to be an animal lover?

Lee, Poole,

Am i the only one reading this who thinks there are far more pressing issues!

Rory, Redditch, England

Evidently the owners weren't attached to the animals. Fair enough. Animals aren't people, and animal rights legislation makes me embarrassed at the group effort of blurry and superstitious thinking that it takes to support it.

_Felix, Nottingham,

Simon from Alderholt, perfect statement. In almost all areas of life theres a lack of respect or pride in anything anymore. These animals deserve better.

Si, Wales, UK

Nothing about modern Britain surprises me anymore. Abandoned animals left behind, by usually the under educated classes who also leave their feral children to run free, is a mere drop in this quickly putrifyng ocean, called British society.

Kick me out please!!

Simon, Alderholt,

As a relatively new multiple dog owner, I have been amazed at the amount of people I have met who seem to treat animals as an accessory, or something to own and brag about.
Animals are living beings, they are a life, and if you decide to take one on you are effectively it's parent.

Tanya Crosby, Stanford-le Hope, UK

People can no longer afford to keep their pets. I have a cat and if she gets ill I don't know what I'll do, vets fees are entirely ridiculous. The dumping of pets is caused by the greedy vets who see no immorality in putting their own huge salaries above the animals that they are supposed to help.

judy, Liverpool, England

This is awful. How can people just abandon their pets??
I have a cat and dog and I could never abandon them. They trust me just as much as I trust them. Those pets deserve a loving home.
People who do this to their pets for such stupid reasons should be locked up. It really is disgraceful.

Lucy, Hertfordshire, UK

Although sadly I don't find this surprising, I find it disturbing. I took in a rescue dog and she has given me so much pleasure. Yes, she's hard work, yes, she needs a lot of attention, yes she needs walking several times a day, but you take on all of this with your eyes wide open or don't get one!

Angi, Bradford, West Yorkshire

It is discusting how people treat animals in this way. I keep exotics including an Iguana. He is already 3ft and I know he will get up to 6ft in total. I will never get rid of him. He is one of the family, as are all of my pets. I feel all animals should be licenced and strict rules to be set.

Steven, Manchester,

Last year I tried my best to report abuse of a poor dog of 1-2 years 2 the RSPCA, I said 2 call back as I did not have the man's address by then, I went through the trouble to find it out only to not get get a reply. DISGUSTING - I hav a really big heart for dogs & they unfortunately let this 1down

Brendan Young, Barnstaple, England

Anyone doubting the need to rescue abandoned pets or (puzzlingly) reassure themselves about "political" objectives other than fighting animal suffering, would find contacting the RSPCA, or even their nearest local animal rescue home a better way of eliciting the truth than posting questions.

H P K, Thatcham, UK

We are the ones who choose to have these animals, they do not choose to live with us. We therefore have a duty to look after them. Are people really so heartless that they can discard an animal that has become a family member - I cannot beleive the mentality of certain people - it is truely sick!

Karen, Petersfield,

Why in the world would animals be taken for political objectives?? Wake up!!

Rachel, Chester,

i feel so in love with humanity this morning after reading this............................NOT. i am truley disgusted at some of my fellow humans occupying the planet. ler us not forget the amazing people who help these poor animals though. i dread to think what the world would be like without them

kate, darlington,

Time to reintroduce dog licences?

Mandatory registration and chipping of dogs and cats?

Olaf, Dundee, Airstrip One

The lurid headlines from Times today - “RSPCA says pets are falling prey to a throwaway society” is deeply concerning. The question is it true? Questions one may ask is how many of these animals actually need rescuing? Or how many of these animals were taken for political objectives?

Chris Newman, Southampton , UK

RSPCA statistics 2000 compared to 2005

Phone calls received down 36.60%
Complaints investigated down 12.55%
Inspections down 94.65%
Animal collections down 23.10%
Homes found down 27.50%

Chris Newman, Southampton , UK

What is even more amazing is that there are so many dogs abandoned now where it is obvious people have paid a lot of money for them as pedigrees. A quick glance on the national dog rehoming site www.dogsblog.com shows literally hundreds of dogs who've been 'given up' who clearly cost a lot of money.

Ryan O'Meara, East Mids, England

These people are SCUM. Have no doubt, and it is one short step from neglecting an animal to neglecting a child!
It is a sad reflection on our society.
I pray for heavenly rain to wash the scum from the streets!

Pete, St Albans, England

It's hard to believe this lack of compassion and intelligence isn't a symptom of wider lowering standards in education and intelligence.

It's a worrying trend that people seem to view everything in terms of what value it brings to them - in the immediate term.

What a disgusting culture we share.

Dan, London,

i find this disturbing but not surprising news due to my own experience of trying to report incidents re animals in distress, etc. after reporting an incident last year it was over two weeks later when i was phoned to ask was it still a problem as they had not been able to deal due to no staff!

winifred robertson, carnforth, uk

how can people do this to an animal that trust's them?

I have 2 dogs they give me back everything I give to them 1 does flyball the other agility

Time for more strict punishment for those people, in the USA they would be Locked up for this for years!!!

Paul, Manchester, UK