As part of its commitment to animal welfare, Mars Petcare, in partnership with a global group of experts, today released the “Animal Abandonment Index,” considered the largest international study ever conducted on homelessness and the factors contributing to the high number of pets on the streets and/or in shelters.
+ Video: Dog confronts mountain lion and survives to tell the tale
The initiative aims to promote more informed and targeted actions to help reduce the number of abandonments and ensure the necessary care to improve the quality of life and longevity of pets.
The findings of the global study revealed that approximately 35% of cats and dogs are living on the streets or are currently in shelter awaiting adoption. In Brazil, approximately 30.2 million cats and dogs are living in abandonment, representing 25% of the total population of these animals. From this number, 7,400 cats and 177,600 dogs are living in shelters.
Jeffrey Flocken, president of the Humane Society International, reflects that: “The homelessness of dogs and cats is an extremely complex issue. These new data will help animal welfare organizations, lawmakers, experts, academics, and researchers better understand the scale and factors influencing the issue, which can, in turn, support interventions that bring about changes in this scenario.”
This project used data from over 900 global and local sources, along with nearly 30,000 public surveys and 200 interviews with experts to build a picture of pet homelessness in the following countries: Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, Greece, India, Indonesia, Japan, Lithuania, Mexico, New Zealand, the Philippines, Poland, South Africa, Turkey, Thailand, the USA, and the United Kingdom.
In the 20 localities studied, it was possible to ascertain that there are 143 million dogs living on the streets and 12 million in shelters; while 203 million cats live on the streets and 4 million in shelters. Although each country faces different challenges, the data also reveal common themes among them, such as:
– Nearly 1 in 5 people consider giving up their cat or dog in the near future due to a change of residence; and almost half of the people who rehoused a pet in the past did so for this reason;
– Globally, about 15% of pet owners are considering giving up their pets in the next 12 months;
Health and fitness issues to care for a pet – both due to housing-related factors and the pressure and time required to care for a pet. Other factors such as behavior, allergies, and costs also appear in the data.
Containing the rise of the homeless population
A surprising number of people lose their pets and often do not reunite with them. Nearly half of the respondents said they had lost a pet in the past, and almost 60% of them were never found by their owners.
Globally, pet owners report that about 60% of dogs and about 50% of cats are neutered, meaning the remainder, unneutered, may end up breeding uncontrollably, resulting in unplanned litters and exacerbating the problem. In Brazil, these data are even more alarming: only 28% of dogs and 53% of cats are neutered.
Gustavo Bruno, General Manager of the Pet Nutrition division at Mars Petcare, emphasizes the relevance of the Index in the company’s fight against animal abandonment. “We understand the important role that pets play in families and in society, which is why we constantly work to ensure that they all have a home and receive the necessary care. We know this is not the reality for many of them, so we hope that this data will encourage actions to improve the lives of pets.”
“Every action can have a significant impact, from promoting responsible pet ownership to emphasizing the important role they play in society, as well as changes in government policies and community involvement in this challenge. This data is extremely relevant to promote changes and meaningful interventions,” adds Pierre Wagner, General Manager of Royal Canin, another division of Mars Petcare.
Working alongside Mars in this global data initiative is an advisory panel composed of experts and leaders in animal welfare from organizations, including: Humane Society International, Alliance for Contraception in Cats & Dogs, International Partnership for Dogs, and International Companion Animal Management Coalition.
Locally, Mars continues to invest in actions to promote neutering and responsible adoption as a means of reducing high abandonment rates in Brazil. For over 15 years, Mars has maintained the PEDIGREE® Adopting is Everything program, which has been responsible for the adoption of over 82,000 dogs. Similarly, it encourages hosting neutering events and supports NGOs and independent rescue organizations through donations of products from all its brands.
And Royal Canin supports three social projects that reinforce the importance of pets in human life, whether it be from the benefits of human-animal interaction or the significant role they play in society, working for medicine and serving people. These are: K-DOG, which supports medicine in the early detection of breast cancer in women and men, and IBETAA and MEDICÃO, which support mental health in promoting animal-assisted therapy.
About the ‘Animal Abandonment Index’ Project
The project reviewed data from over 900 global and local sources, along with 30,000 public surveys and 200 interviews with experts: to clarify the needs of pets in Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, Greece, India, Indonesia, Japan, Lithuania, Mexico, New Zealand, the Philippines, Poland, South Africa, Turkey, Thailand, the USA, and the UK. It follows a pilot study conducted in 2021 that analyzed nine countries.
Data collection was conducted by specialized research agencies, Kantar and Euromonitor International. Data collection and analysis took place between late 2022 and the first semester of 2023.
The Global Advisory Panel consists of Mars partners and leaders in the animal welfare and pet care sector, including: Jeffrey Flocken (President, Humane Society International), Joyce Briggs (Senior Advisor and former President, Alliance for Contraception in Cats & Dogs), Andrew Rowan (President, WellBeing International), Marc Ralsky (CEO, International Partnership for Dogs), Vicky Halls (Head of Unowned Cats, International Cat Care), Brenda N. Bonnett (former CEO, International Partnership for Dogs), Claire Bessant (former CEO, International Cat Care), Elly Hiby (Director, The International Companion Animal Management (ICAM) Coalition), Ellen Jefferson (President and CEO, Austin and American Pets Alive!), Kim Van Syoc (Executive Director, Banfield Foundation and VCA Charities).
For more information about the project and to delve deeper into the data, visit: https://www.stateofpethomelessness.com/
