Pet Safety: Protecting Animals When Abuse or Crisis Is Present

For many people, a pet isn’t “just” an animal — they’re family, comfort, and sometimes the one steady source of love in a frightening home. People who abuse know this, which is exactly why pets are so often drawn into the abuse: threatened, harmed, or used as a way to keep someone from leaving.

If you’ve stayed, or delayed leaving, because you couldn’t bear to abandon your pet — you are not alone, and you have not done anything wrong. Many refuges can’t accept animals, and for a long time that left survivors facing an impossible choice. This guide exists because that choice is no longer the only option.

Inside, you’ll find how to recognise when a pet is being used as part of coercive control, how to plan for your animal’s safety before and during leaving, and the free, confidential UK fostering schemes — from Dogs Trust’s Freedom Project to Cats Protection’s Lifeline and regional services — that will care for your pet in secret until you’re safe and able to be reunited. There’s also guidance for professionals, and a clear list of emergency contacts.

As with everything we share, your safety comes first. Only do what is safe and realistic for your situation. The full guide is below as a Word document you can download, save, and return to whenever you need it.

If you or your pet are in immediate danger: call 999. If you can’t speak safely, dial 999 then press 55 to alert police. The 24-hour National Domestic Abuse Helpline (run by Refuge) is 0808 2000 247; the RSPCA cruelty line is 0300 1234 999.