Pet Overpopulation Statistics 2008
Pet Overpopulation Statistics from www.spcala.com
Spay and Neuter your pet and make 2009 a better year for dogs and cats.
Pet Overpopulation Statistics
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• Number of cats and dogs entering shelters
each year: 6-8 million (HSUS estimate)
• Number of cats and dogs euthanized
by shelters each year: 3 - 4M (HSUS estimate)
• Number of cats and dogs adopted from
shelters each year: 3 - 4M (HSUS estimate)
• Number of cats and dogs reclaimed by owners
from shelters each year: Between 600 and 750k --
30% of dogs and 2-5% of cats entering shelters
(HSUS estimate)
• Number of animal shelters in the USA:
Between 4k and 6k (HSUS estimate)
• Percentage of dogs in shelters
who are purebred: 25% (HSUS estimate)
• Average number of litters a
fertile cat can produce in one year: 3
• Average number of kittens
in a feline litter: 4 - 6
• In 7 years, one female cat and her
offspring can theoretically produce 420k cats.
• Average number of litters a
fertile dog can produce in one year: 2
• Average number of pups per canine litter: 6-10
• In 6 years, one female dog and her
offspring can theoretically produce 67k dogs.
Dogs
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• There are approximately 65M
owned dogs in the United States.
• 39% of USA-households (40.6 M) own at least one dog.
• Most owners (65%) own one dog.
• 23% of owners own two dogs.
• 12% of owners own three or more dogs.
• On average, owners have almost two dogs (1.6).
• Slightly more male dogs are owned than female dogs.
• 18% of owned dogs were adopted from an animal shelter.
• Dog owners spend an average of $213 on
veterinary related expenses every year
• 72% of owned-dogs are spayed or neutered.
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Cats
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•There are approximately 77.6M
owned cats in the United States.
• 34% of US-households (or 35.4M) own at least one cat.
• 51% of cat-owning households own one cat;
the remaining own two or more.
• On average, owners have two cats (2.2).
• Slightly more female cats are owned than male cats.
• 16% of owned cats were adopted from an animal shelter.
• Cat owners spend an average of $113 on veterinary
related expenses every year.
• 84% of owned cats are spayed or neutered.
The above statistics were obtained from the American
Pet Products Manufacturers Association (APPMA)
It costs U.S. taxpayers an estimated $2 billion
each year to round up, house, kill, and dispose
of homeless animals. (USA Today)
Over 56% of dogs and puppies entering shelters
are killed based on reports from over 1,055 facilities
across America. (National Counsel on Pet Population Study)
An estimated 5M cats and dogs are killed in shelters each year.
That means that one animal is euthanized every six and one half
seconds. (HSUS)
Millions more are abandoned, only to suffer from illness
or injury before dying. (Doris Day Animal League)
On average, it costs approximately $100 to capture, house,
feed, and eventually kill a homeless animal - a cost that
ultimately comes out of our pocket. Low cost spay/neuter
services are far below that amount.
(Doris Day Animal League)
The cost of having a pregnant female can be
much higher than the cost of spaying
Seven dogs & cats are born every day for each person
born in the USA. Of those, only 1 in 5 puppies and
kittens stay in their original home for their natural
lifetime. The remaining 4 are abandoned to the streets
or end up at a shelter (HSUS)
Each day 10k humans are born in the USA, and each day
70k pups and kittens are born. As long as these birth rates
exist, there will never be enough homes for all the animals
(Spay USA)