Pet Overpopulation

A 1997 survey by the Pecos People for Animal Welfare Society in New Mexico found that most common reason for not having a pet spayed or neutered was that the animal was thought to be too young or too old. The findings suggest there is an ongoing need for public education of the benefits of spay/neuter for both animals and caretakers.

This online resource library from the Humane Society of the United States provides a compilation of statistics-related articles about companion animal population.

This study analyzes New Jersey's and New Hampshire's effective programs for companion animal overpopulation -- and Maine's relatively ineffective spay/neuter programs -- and provides recommendations for a potentially successful program for Maine.

The vast majority of feral cat caregivers, in the order of 80%, are women who have a unique voice that needs to be heard in the public policy debate on legal protections for animals. In particular, the public needs to know that their definition of protection is rooted in sterilization, not "humane" killing; and, moreover, that they are dedicated to protecting individual animals, and do so at great personal cost. That women have long been marginalized is a historic fact, and that the legal remedies have been incomplete is a present reality.

Can a single female cat and her offspring really produce 420,000 cats over just seven years? This article examines the validity and origin of this commonly cited statistic, concluding that this statistic is likely an urban myth. A lower estimate is provided and substantiated by research by biologist Michael Stoskopf, who documented six kittens per year with a 75% kitten mortality.

This report compiles various estimates of dog and cat populations, focusing on data from the American Association of Pet Product Manufacturers (APPMA). The research provides estimates of 72 million dogs and 82 million cats in U.S. households, with about 60% of all households having dogs and cats.

According to Ohio State University, ideas related to cat overpopulation in Ohio differ between rural and urban dwellers and also between cat owners and non-pet owners. In addition, about one quarter of Ohio households feed free-roaming cats, whether or not they are spayed or neutered.

A searchable database of crimes against animals documenting type of abuse, type of animal, and date. Incidents are recorded for the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, New Zealand, Australia, and Spain.

This portion of the USDA National Agricultural Library is dedicated to companion animals and provides a bibliography of online resources related to various topics including pet food, spaying and neutering, pet travel, and various regulations.

In the 10 years from 1991-2000, nearly 8,000 feral cats were neutered and reintroduced to their original colonies in Rome. The spay/neuter campaigns brought about a general decrease in cats, but the percentage of cat immigration (due to abandonment and spontaneous arrival) is around 21%. This suggests that spay/neuter efforts without complementary education to prevent abandonment may be a waste of money, time, and energy.