Shelters Shuffle Cats, Reduce EuthanasiaShelters Shuffle Cats Reduce Euthanasia, shelter cats, shelter dogs, PetpointThe positive downward trend of feline intakes and euthanasia at animal welfare organizations continued in November, according to the November Petpoint Report.Intakes of cats declined 6 percent and euthanasia of cats decreased 4 percent in November compared to the year-ago period. Owner surrender and stray cat intakes declined year over year by 5 percent and 9 percent, respectively, in November, while adoptions and returns to owners increased by 2 percent and 5 percent.newslineShelters Shuffle Cats, Reduce EuthanasiaPosted: Dec. 20, 2011, 1:15 p.m. EST The positive downward trend of feline intakes and euthanasia at animal welfare organizations continued in November, according to the November Petpoint Report. Intakes of cats declined 6 percent and euthanasia of cats decreased 4 percent in November compared to the year-ago period. Owner surrender and stray cat intakes declined year over year by 5 percent and 9 percent, respectively, in November, while adoptions and returns to owners increased by 2 percent and 5 percent. Most of the changes to the cat populations at shelters in November are consistent with year over year trends over the past six months, according to the report, including a decrease in transfers of cats into shelters from other organizations (9 percent) and an increase in transfers out of shelters (13 percent). “The increasing transfer activity points to organizations’ increasing ability to reduce feline euthanasia through redistribution,” said Brad Grucelski, vice president, Petpoint Solutions at parent company Pethealth Inc. “As reported last month, the increasing return of lost cats to their owners suggests more cat owners are using appropriate methods of pet identification, such as microchips and external ID tags.” Total intakes of dogs decreased 1 percent in November compared to the year-ago period, including a 4 percent drop in intakes of strays. Euthanasia of dogs at animal welfare organizations declined 3 percent, and overall outcomes increased 4 percent, including a 15 percent increase in dogs transferred from shelters to other organizations. Data in the Petpoint Report is aggregated via the Petpoint Animal Management Software, produced by Canadian company Pethealth, Inc., based in Oakville Ontario. The cloud-based software is the most widely used animal management application in North American animal welfare, according to Pethealth Inc. The November report aggregated data from 934 animal welfare organizations and includes data on 126,092 dogs and cats that entered shelters during the month and 132,503 that left shelters for the same period. Population changes reported in November compared to the year-ago period include: • Intakes of cats into shelters decreased 6 percent to 58,573; • Owner surrenders of cats decreased 5 percent to 20,750; • Returns of cats to shelters from owners previously adopting from the same organization increased 5 percent to 2,013; • Intakes of stray cats decreased 9 percent to 27,113; • Transfers of cats in from other shelters increased 8 percent to 5,706; • Seizures of cats conducted by law enforcement organizations decreased 8 percent to 2,991. • Intakes of dogs decreased 1 percent to 67,519; • Owner surrenders of dogs decreased 2 percent to 20,099; • Returns of dogs previously adopted from the same organizations remained at 3,425; • Intakes of stray dogs decreased 4 percent to 24,469; • Transfers of dogs into shelters increased 1 percent to 13,303; • Seizures of dogs conducted by law enforcement agencies increased 8 percent to 6,223; • Total cats leaving shelters decreased 4 percent to 64,622; • Adoptions of cats increased 2 percent to 29,585; • Euthanasia of cats decreased 13 percent to 37,084; • Transfers of cats out of reporting shelters to other organizations increased 13 percent to 3,523; • Returns of cats to their owners increased 9 percent to 1,496; • Cat deaths for reasons other than euthanasia increased 10 percent to 1,517; • Total dogs leaving shelters increased 4 percent to 67,881; • Adoptions of dogs increased 5 percent to 32,035; • Euthanasia of dogs decreased 3 percent to 19,092; • Transfers of dogs from reporting shelters to other organizations increased 15 percent to 7,569; • Returns of dogs to their owners increased 2 percent to 8,263; • Dog deaths for reasons other than euthanasia increased 42 percent to 922.<Home>http://www.veterinarypracticenews.com/images/vpn-tab-image/shelter-cat1-300px.jpg12/20/2011 10:09 AM
