29 September 2026
by Niall Christie
The animal welfare charity recorded a £5.5million deficit last year.
The Scottish Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SSPCA) is facing a £5.5million financial crisis, accounts show.
The SSPCA has said rising costs and plummeting donations have come as the charity invested more in tackling neglect and cruelty as the number of animals needing help rises.
Last year more than 32,000 animal welfare incidents were reported across Scotland
Scotland’s highest profile animal welfare charity has plunged into a £5.5million financial crisis as a result of soaring costs and plunging donations, accounts show.
The £5.5m deficit came after a £900,000 surplus in 2024, but costs rose sharply, while income from wills and legacies fell by £4m.
A spokesperson told Edinburgh Live: “In the last two years, the Scottish SPCA has been investing in the work it does to stop animals suffering because of ongoing issues of neglect and cruelty.
“This desire to do more for animals saw the charity move into a planned deficit in 2025 because the demand for what we do coincided with a lot of our costs rising, such as external vet bills, the fuel for our vans that go across the country, and the energy bills to heat the six rehoming centres we run.
“The amount of money the charity receives each year is often heavily impacted by the number of gifts in people’s wills that are received.
“There was £4million more received from wills in 2024 than a year later – but over time, it tends to even out.
“Therefore a combination of doing more for animals, rising costs and less legacy income was why there was a deficit of just over £5.5million in 2025.”
The charity pointed out that, despite the scale of its work, it receives no government funding and remains dependent on public donations to fund its work rescuing and caring for animals across the country.
The SSPCA spokesperson added: “For a charity solely reliant on donations, it is important to note we do not receive any government funding, despite doing so much for animals to make Scotland better for people and animals.
“The Scottish SPCA remains extremely grateful to everyone in Scotland who donates to its vital work.
“The charity does more for animals than any other organisation but this is entirely dependent on the ongoing generosity of the public.”
SSPCA facing financial black hole amid rising costs and donations crisis - TFN
The above information is from a Third Force News (TFN) Newsletter Tue 29/09/2026