Finding a loving home for animals can prove to be as challenging as finding a spouse. A German animal shelter is finding new ways to help animals find love and rehome abandoned pets.

The Munich Animal Welfare Association is posting their profiles on dating app Tinder in the hope that lonely humans looking for love might also settle for the company of a cat or a dog.

The shelter got an advertising agency to shoot professional pictures of 15 animals including a black-and-white cat called "Captain Kirk" that it put on Tinder.

Jillian Moss from the animal shelter said several people have swiped right on Tinder to set up their first "date": "The response is insane, it's exploding everywhere."

After coronavirus lockdowns led to a surge in pet ownership, animal welfare experts have warned that many animals might be abandoned as the pandemic wanes.

"We hope that these animals really find a new partner, a 'purrfect match' in the long term and not just for a few weeks," said Benjamin Beilke, who is coordinating Tinder communication.

"There aren't only lonely souls among humans, but there are also a lot of lonely souls among animals."