Dogs and cats are two of the most well loved pets preferred by potential animal owners. However, these two kinds of pets are also the ones prone to overpopulation and sadly, they end up getting neglected and worse, euthanized.
The number of dogs and cats being euthanized in shelters in the United States animal shelters alone can reach up to around four million or at least one pet is killed every eight seconds. While there are advocates for animal welfare and a great number of people really do love pets, the alarming number of the dogs and cats who need new homes keep on increasing. Moreover, new pups and kittens will continue to be born so long as there are pets that remain not spayed or neutered.
Pet Overpopulation Statistics and Facts
1. According to a report from The American Humane Association, there is a startling fact that one in twenty out of the 163 million pet cats and dogs are sent to shelters in a year.
2. If a female dog is unspayed as well as its offspring, there will be around 508 puppies that can be produced in a period of seven years.
3. Despite the fact that advocates are serious with their drive to persuade pet owners to have their dogs and cats spayed or neutered, about 35% of the total number of pet owners refuse to do so. Reasons can vary from lack of resources, ignorance and the fear of hurting their pets in the process.
4. The cost for neutering or spaying a dog or cat is lesser than taking care of a single kitten or puppy in a year. However, not all pets taken to shelters undergo these procedures except for about 10%.
5. A female dog can produce at least two litters of pups in a year and the average number of pups per litter is around four. Conversely, cats can produce three litters in a year and each litter can have four to six kittens.
6. According to the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), it cost the taxpayers as well as private humanitarian agencies more than a billion dollars in a year to capture, impound, feed and euthanize dogs and cats that cannot be taken care of anymore.
7. Every year, approximately 5,500 dogs are euthanized in animal shelters. This is because five of the ten dogs in shelters end up in this plight. Moreover, the dogs suffering taking the biggest blow are the Pit Bulls, with a euthanasia rate of 93%.
8. Male dogs can benefit from being neutered since this can lessen the incidence of prostate cancer as well as remove the risk of these male dogs from having testicular cancer. Spayed female dogs, on the other hand, prevent uterine and ovarian cancer as well as lessen the risk of breast cancer in female dogs.
Overpopulation in pets is a growing problem not only in the United States but also around the world. Pet owners should be aware of the implications of this issue and should consider having their dogs and cats spayed or neutered to address this problem and at the same time give their pets better and longer lives.
Crystal Lombardo is a contributing editor for Vision Launch. Crystal is a seasoned writer and researcher with over 10 years of experience. She has been an editor of three popular blogs that each have had over 500,000 monthly readers.
