It’s raining cats and kittens at the Sacramento SPCA and throughout the Sacramento area, and that equates to animal shelter overcrowding and more.
Due to uncontrolled breeding especially during the spring and summer months, the number of homeless cats and kittens entering local shelters increases substantially. From March to May of this year, more than 5,500 cats and kittens were received by Sacramento’s three major animal shelters alone (Sacramento SPCA, City of Sacramento Animal Care and Control Center, and County of Sacramento Animal Care and Regulation).
Because these substantial seasonal increases are seen nationwide, June has been dubbed Adopt-a-Cat Month, with shelters like the Sacramento SPCA urging people to consider adopting a new feline friend.
A few important facts on cats:
- There are an estimated 60 million homeless cats nationwide, and uncontrolled breeding is the cause.
- Fertile female cats can produce three litters of kittens per year. If just one cat and each of her offspring reproduce regularly, they may produce as many as 420,000 kittens in just seven years.
- Seven dogs and cats are born every day for each person born in the United States. Of those, only one in five puppies and kittens stay in their original home. The remaining four are abandoned or end up in shelters.
- An estimated six to eight million dogs and cats are euthanized in shelters each year.
- Approximately 71% of cats and kittens entering shelters are euthanized annually.
- Cats, as a group, get less veterinary care and are abandoned more often than dogs, and often seem to be seen as simply disposable.
- Cats are America’s favorite pet. Nearly 34% of U.S. households (more than 38 million) own at least one cat. On average owners have two cats (2.3). That equates to more than 88 million owned cats nationwide.
- Just 18% of owned cats were adopted from an animal shelter.
- Cats make wonderful companions and can be a good choice for people who work longer hours but would still like to have a companion animal.
The Sacramento SPCA is open Tuesday – Sunday from 11 am – 6 pm. Visit the Sacramento SPCA at 6201 Florin Perkins Road, www.sspca.org or call (916) 383-7387.
