Estimated number of community cats in the U.S.: 30 to 40 million
Percentage of community cats who are spayed/neutered: 2%
Percentage of new kittens born each year produced by community cats: 80%
Percentage of people who believe leaving a community cat outdoors is preferable to having him or her caught and euthanized: 81%
Percentage of people providing food for community cats: 10 to 12% Estimated number of brick-and-mortar animal shelters in the US: 3,500
Estimated number of rescue groups and animal sanctuaries in North America: 10,000
Number of cats and dogs entering shelters each year: 6-8 million (down from 13 million in 1973)
Of the 3 million cats and dogs euthanized in shelters each year, approximately 2.4 million (80%) are healthy and treatable and could have been adopted into new homes
Percentage of purebred dogs in shelters: 25%
Number cats and dogs adopted from shelters each year: 4 million
Percentage of cats euthanized in shelters: 70%
Percentage of total shelter intake comprised of cats: Approximately 50% (but in some regions 2/3 of shelter population is cats)
Estimated amount spent by humane organizations annually: $2.5 billion (about $8 per capita)
Estimated amount spent by animal control organizations annually: $800 million to $1 billion (about $4 per capita)
There are about 70 million stray animals living in the U.S.
Of this 70 million, only about six to eight million cats and dogs enter the nation’s 3,500 shelters every year
Nearly half of all animals that arrive in U.S. shelters are euthanized because there is a lack of space and adopters
