This week the charity faced criticism on social media for allowing the cemetery to become so overgrown that some of the headstones can no longer be seen.
The JSPCA said the facility had not been neglected but the groundsman who usually tended to it was on holiday.
A spokeswoman for the JSPCA said: ‘Our maintenance man has been attending to our St Saviour’s Road premises first and is now on a well-deserved holiday. There have been a lot of demands recently and he has taken a well-earned holiday as this has been cancelled once already.
‘We don’t like anyone but him doing it as he is so understanding and respectful.’
In addition to the absence of the charity’s maintenance man, the spokeswoman also said that they have struggled to get people to pay their annual fees, which go towards the grounds upkeep.
She said: ‘Of the 648 graves only 18 per cent of the people whose pets are buried there have paid the annual fee of £10, which goes towards the upkeep of the cemetery grounds.
‘We appreciate it is overdue for a cut, but after the wet and delayed spring suddenly everything all over the Island has grown. He [the maintenance man] will be back in two weeks’ time and the cemetery will be attended to upon his return.’
She added: ‘We have recently been moving offices and areas around our site to enable us to rent out part of our old building to maximise our income.
‘This would not have been possible without our maintenance man, who ensures that the areas around our site are kept clean and tidy to an exceptionally high standard.’
Bereaved pet owners have the choice of a communal or private cremation, according to the JSPCA, as their cemetery is at full capacity for burials.
However, they added that they are able to provide for the pet’s ashes to be scattered and a headstone erected, for an additional cost.
