Analysis from Citizens Advice Scotland (CAS) of polling undertaken by the research company YouGov found that 10 per cent of adults in Scotland reduced their spending on things like dog grooming and vet visits in the past year, working out to around 460,000 people.

The charity is running “Worried this winter” a campaign encouraging people to seek advice from the network in a variety of ways. People can visit www.cas.org.uk/worried and from there they can choose an option that works for them such as online advice pages or interactive self-help tools like www.moneymap.scot, specialist services like the Money Talk Team or finding their local CAB if they feel they need one to one advice.

Last year the average gain from energy related advice from across the network was more than £400. Advice gains generally for those who saw a benefit was over £3,700.

In one case a CAB helped a woman on a prepayment meter with rising energy bills, which made it difficult for her to feed her dog. Increased electricity costs meant that she had been unable to keep her fish tank warm, which resulted in the death of her beloved tropical fish.

CAS social justice spokesperson, Emma Jackson, said: “People are having to cut back on spending because of rising energy bills and the wider cost of living crisis, and that might mean less care for household pets.

“For many, particularly pensioners or people living alone, their dog or cat is their best friend and a source of comfort against loneliness and isolation. Cutting back on vet appointments or grooming to keep them clean and healthy could be a really distressing decision for people.

“We would encourage anyone worried about the cost of bills this winter to seek help from the CAB network.

“That doesn’t have to mean going to a CAB, our online advice pages are used by millions of people a year and we have interactive self-help tools to help people see where they could boost their incomes or cut their costs.

“The CAB network gets incredible results for people. Last year the average gain for someone who saw one after seeking advice was over £3,700. That can be absolutely life changing money this winter. We don’t judge, we just help.”

Gilly Mendes Ferreira, director of innovation and strategic relations at the Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SSPCA), added: “The cost-of-living squeeze is impacting animals as well as people and the Scottish SPCA is seeing first-hand how that squeeze, combined with rising vet bills, is making it harder for people to care for their pets. In 2022 calls to give up a pet trebled – that’s now quadrupled. Again often down to affordability of food and veterinary care or access to per-friendly housing.

“People are cutting back on essential care for their pet because of financial issues, and we don’t want that to lead to serious animal welfare issues. With 88 per cent of people reporting that the cost of caring for an animal has gone up, this is a widespread problem.

“Our partnership with Citizens Advice Scotland means we’re doing what we can to help keep people and pets together by improving access to services and intervening early when animal and human welfare is at risk. Getting ahead of problems and helping animals and people in their communities.

“For pet owners, animals are the heart and soul of the household and we don’t want them to be separated when times are tough. We offer a Pet Aid service, which provides essential supplies for dogs and cat owners, at 54 foodbanks and community projects across Scotland. Plus, our inspectors are directly supporting people in their own home to take care of their animals.”