Petfinder Fact Sheet

Animal Shelters

  • Approximately 8-12 million companion animals enter animal shelters nationwide every year, and approximately 5-9 million are euthanized (60% of dogs and 70% of cats).
  • Shelter intakes are about evenly divided between those relinquished by owners and those picked up by animal control. These are national estimates; the percentage of euthanasia may vary from state to state.
  • Less than 2% of cats and only 15-20% of dogs are returned to their owners. Most of these were identified with tags, tattoos or microchips.
  • 25% of dogs that enter local shelters are purebred. Only 10% of the animals received by shelters have been spayed or neutered. 75% of owned pets are neutered.

Pet Overpopulation

  • The average number of litters a fertile cat produces is one to two a year; the average number of kittens in a litter is four to six.
  • The average number of litters a fertile dog produces is one a year; the average number of puppies is four to six.
  • It is impossible to determine how many stray dogs and cats live in the United States; estimates for cats alone range up to 70 million.
  • Owned cats and dogs generally live longer, healthier lives than stray ones. Many strays are lost pets that were not kept properly indoors or provided with identification.

Pet Ownership

  • About 60% of all households in the United States have a pet.
  • About 60 million dogs and about 75 million cats are owned in the United States.
  • About 65% of pet owners acquire their pets free or at low cost. The majority of pets are obtained from acquaintances and family members. 15 to 20% of dogs are purchased from breeders; 10 to 20% of cats and dogs are adopted from shelters and rescues; and two to 10% are purchased from pet shops.
  • At least 20% of cats are acquired as strays.
  • Over 20% of people who leave dogs in shelters adopted them from a shelter.
  • The cost of spaying or neutering a pet is less than the cost of raising puppies or kittens for one year.
  • The average annual cost of basic food, supplies, medical care and training for a dog or cat is $400 to $700.

General

  • Every day across the United States, volunteers and staff in animal shelters and animal control facilities see the results of irresponsible pet ownership and dog and cat overpopulation.
  • There are about 5,000 community animal shelters and over another 5,000 foster-based rescue groups nationwide that are independent; there is no national organization monitoring these shelters. The phrases “humane society” and “SPCA” are generic terms; shelters using those names are not part of the Humane Society of the United States or the ASPCA.

Petfinder.com

  • Founded in 1996 by Betsy Saul and Jared Saul, Petfinder.com is the largest searchable database of adoptable pets on the web.
  • Petfinder.com has facilitated more than 11 million adoptions in the last 11 years.
  • More than 250,000 homeless pets in over 11,000 animal placement organizations across North America have their own homepages with pictures and videos, thanks to one of the most unifying initiatives ever to hit animal welfare – Petfinder.com.
  • The site also helps educate adopters about pet health, behavior and care through its resource library and discussion forums.

Sources: American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) and Petfinder.com.

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