Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home jobs lost and opening hours cut amid rising costs

Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home has confirmed jobs have been lost and opening hours cut as it faces rising costs.

The animal centre on the city’s Seafield Road said unprecedented challenges have forced it to restructure, resulting in job losses.

The centre, which receives hundreds of new admissions every year, has also cut its opening hours in a bid operate effectively.

The home is no longer open to the public on Wednesday and Thursday, and the charity say there is a “genuine risk” that the centre will no longer be able to continue in the years ahead.

The charity is raising funds for solar panels to battle rising energy bills, with funding only guaranteed for a year.

The centre receives hundreds of new admissions every year. Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home

Founded in 1883, the organisation relies entirely on public donations to sustain its work.

Lindsay Fyffe-Jardine, CEO of the home, told STV News: “All of our costs have increased but that isn’t including things like energy and national insurance rises.

“Sadly part of that has been our staffing – we’ve had to recognise that some parts of what we do we can’t afford to continue with due to the current size of our team.

“If we continue to have the rise in costs we’re facing in the next two or three years if we don’t make those changes – which we have now – the home would not be here.”

The shelter launched an appeal for donations amid record-breaking demand for its services in 2024.

The home received almost 400 new admissions between September 2023 and August 2024.

The charity said that over the same period, it had distributed 44,960kg of pet food, more than the weight of a Boeing 737-800 aeroplane, to food banks across central and eastern Scotland to help keep pets with their families.

Despite the increased pressure, 194 cats and dogs were rehomed and the charity served 487,352 meals to pets in need last year.