9,589 ...
The number of dogs and cats euthanized in U.S. shelters today and EVERY day this year. That's according to the Humane Society. According to The National Council on Pet Population Study and Policy, it may be as high as 26,301.
The cost to taxpayers to euthanize these animals is between $740,000,000 and $1,776,000,000 annually.
Approximately 50% of dogs and 70% of cats entering shelters are euthanized. Some shelters have 80% euthanasia rates.
25% of dogs entering shelters are purebred.
Only 15-30% of dogs and 2-5% of cats are claimed by their owners at shelters.
The 3 ways to reduce euthanasia rates at our shelters:
(1) Reduce the number of unwanted animals being impounded by shelters
(2) Increase adoptions
(3) Keep pets in their homes for life
Through:
- Low- and No-Cost Spay/Neuter programs
- Low- and No-Cost TNR (Trap-Neuter-Return) programs for feral cats
- Adoption events out in the community (PetSmart, adoption-mobiles, pet fairs)
- Revamping shelters and shelter image to be desirable places to visit & adopt
- Resources for adopters to help the adoptions be successful
- Education programs that work with people to keep pets in their homes when problems arise
- Dog training programs (for dogs and their people)
- Resources for pet-friendly renting and to encourage landlords to work with pet owners
- Outreach to school children with educational curriculums
- Increase profile in community and grassroots support (thereby increasing volunteers, donation, and goodwill)
- Legislation and government support of long-term solutions to pet overpopulation
What Kind of Links?
This page is a compilation of interesting and/or helpful cat-related links I've found.
Did you know: According to The Berlin Longevity Institute, cats can add as much as 10 years to their owners’ lives. Picking up a cat has a nearly instantaneous calming effect on humans, causing blood pressure to drop and the heart rate to slow.
Spay/Neuter Resources
Low-cost / Free Spay/Neuter, state-by-state
US and International resources
Spay/Neuter resources for shelters and individuals who want to make positive change in their communities
Best Friends Spay/Neuter community for news around the country
Nat'l Council on Pet Population Study & Policy
Philippines (Manila) Spay/Neuter Resource
There are an estimated 9.3 million unowned cats (strays, ferals, & their offspring) in the
An unspayed female cat and her mate and all of their surviving offspring, producing 2 litters per year, with 2.8 surviving kittens per litter, can total:
3 years: 376
4 years: 2,107
5 years: 11,801
6 years: 66,088
7 years: 370,092
8 years: 2,072,514
9 years: 11,606,077
An unspayed female dog and her mate and their offspring can produce 4,372 puppies in 7 years.
Reaching 70% sterilization of the pet population would be the “tipping point” when we will get ahead of the overpopulation problem. Until then, birth rates will keep up with or exceed death rates.
LA Times articles on kitten season overpopulation
Feral Cats
On average, Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) costs $35 per cat. Volunteers absorb the time/cost of trapping the cat, surgery aftercare, and long-term care of the cat. It costs taxpayers $105-$185+ to trap, shelter, euthanize, and dispose of one feral cat. Encourage your local shelter to adopt TNR instead of trap-and-kill.
Feral Cat Coalition (San Diego)
Homeless Cat Management Team (Pittsburgh)
Burlington County Feral Cat Initiative (NJ)
Feral Cats: human relations
Keep ferals out of yards or gardens
How to Live with Cats in Your Neighborhood
Helping cats and people co-exist
Brochure: tips to fix common behaviors: digging, sleeping / lounging in unwanted places, getting into trash, paw prints on car, cat pee smell, "attracting wildlife,."
Feral Cats: colony care
Inappropriate Peeing in Cats
Systematic, thorough troubleshooting guide
Another good site (also look at "overcoming stress" section)
Includes info on anti-anxiety meds
Cats International (See their Contact section for a behavior hotline" you can call, too)
Pet-Friendly Housing
Finding a New Home for a Pet
Why NEVER to give your pet away for free
Cats and Kids/Babies
Toxoplasmosis, why not to freak out
Finding a Lost Pet
Free site for people searching for their dogs
From www.petsavers.org "Cats are territorial. When an outdoor acess cat suddenly vanishes, it means that something has happened to that cat to interrupt its normal behavior of returning home. The disappearance could mean that the cat is injured, trapped, or deceased within its territory. It could also mean that the cat was transported out of the area -- either intentionally (by an irate neighbor who trapped the cat) or unintentionally (by the cat climbing into an opened parked van). It could also mean that the cat was displaced into unfamiliar territory -- something as simple as being chased by a dog causing the cat to hide under a deck a block from home. When this happens the termperment of the cat will influence how it behaves. When displaced into unfamiliar territory, some cats will be so panicked and afraid theyw ill remain in the same hiding place for weeks and they will never return home while others will break cover within hours and eturn home. The investigative question to solve when an outdoor-access cat disappears is: What happened to the cat?"
Cat Fencing (keeping your cat in your yard)
Legislation & Animals
Animal Legal & Historical Web Center
Pending legislation on the state and national level. Here you can also reach your legislators and tell them your opinions
Humane Scorecard: find out how your legislators are voting on animal issues
Attorneys for Animals: Michigan non-profit with national resources directory.
Voice for the Animals Foundation
Pet-Abuse.com
pet-abuse.com : No scary pictures. A very informative site: convicted abuser search function, zip code search, cases pending in your area / nationally, interactive law matrix by state, statistics on animal abuse and abusers, and more. The more you know, the more we can prevent these tragedies from happening.
Stolen pets: pet theft is more common than you think.
Poison Control
Cat Food
Learn about nutritional needs and making your own cat food
Cat food ingredient comparison & analysis tool
Estate Planning for Pet Owners
Estate Planning for pet owners
Raising Orphaned or Newborn Kittens
Assessing age of kittens and socializing them
50% - 70% of outdoor kittens will die or be killed before reaching adulthood (predators, cars, flea anemia, disease, starvation, mean people). 2/3 of kittens born outdoors die by 6-months old.
CRF
Also consider joining the yahoo group on Feline-Info CRF for support.
FIV
Medical Articles on various topics
Companion Animal Parasite Council
Other Terrific Resources
Best Friends Resource Library on misc. topics
Cats International: Helpful articles for pet owners struggling to understand their cat's behavior "problems," and a hotline for burning questions on their Contact page.
Kinship Circle Fact Sheets on many animal issues. Help educate yourself or others on these important animal issues. Kinship Circle also runs a Animal Disaster Relief email list about natural disasters and how they are impacting local animals.
ASPCA Professional: tools and resources for animal welfare professionals
World Animal Net network of animal protection societies worldwide
Animal Protection Issues Wheel
Cruelty-Free Product Manufacturers: cosmetics, household cleaners, personal care products, and animal products. Also check out this.
Oxygen masks for pets: Does your local fire department have Oxygen masks for animals? Necessary if you want your pet revived after a house fire. Figure out how to get them for your fire department; they're not that expensive.
Blind cat rescue: helpful info for owners of blind or vision impaired cats. Learn how well they can do!
Rabbits, Dogs, Wildlife, and more (no cats!)
All your rabbit questions answered
Dogs Deserve Better : know any chained dogs who need help?
Save-a-Sato: small dogs in Puerto Rico and New England
Custom carts for mobility-challenged pets
What to do if you find a baby mammal / bird
What to do if you find a baby mammal / bird resource #2
Third site to find a wildlife rehabilitator
Fourth side to find a wildlife rehabilitator
Living with Possums, Squirrels, and Raccoons PDFs from the Santa Monica Police Department.
Birds and Teflon: deadly. Apparently self-cleaning ovens are dangerous too. Another good bird sanctuary is here.
You aren't taking hormones, are you?
Just for Fun
Shop cats: own a shopcat or know someone who does? They also have an interesting Links page.
Cat Museum in Amsterdam
©2007 All Rights Reserved
Thanks to Fullahead for the opensource webpage.
Last update: September, 2009