Sterilizing Companion Animals Not Priority For New Owners
A national survey of companion animal owners, including those who have acquired a dog or cat in the last year, questioned owners about companion animal sterilization; 48% of the dogs and cats acquired who were unsterilized when acquired still had not been sterilized at the time of the survey.
About 38% of companion animal owners aged 18 to 34 years old have not sterilized their companion animals; nearly one-quarter (24%) of those 55 and older also had not done so. As a result, 13% of all dog owners and 19% of all cat owners ended up with litters, more than half of them unintentional.
Many companion animal owners seem to be unaware of the issues of companion animal overpopulation; 62% of 18 to 34 year-olds and 47% of the 55 and older respondents estimated that fewer than 1 million animals are euthanized each year, while 28% believe it is 100,000 or less.
Owners also seem to be confused regarding the age at which a companion animal should be sterilized; 17% do not know what the proper age is for sterilization, while 42% said it is 6 months and 14% said it is 9 months.
Owners acquired their dogs and/or cats from the following sources:
- Own litter (5%)
- Companion animal store (8%)
- Purebreed breeder (12%)
- Stray (19%)
- Adoption organization or shelter (24%)
- Family member (25%)
- Other (7%)
Following are the reasons that companion animal owners chose not to spay/neuter:
- Companion animal is too young (34%)
- Too expensive (31%)
- Haven’t gotten around to it (24%)
- Didn’t feel it was necessary (14%)
- Want to breed companion animal (7%)
- Not natural (6%)
- Concerned about impact on companion animal’s personality (4%)
- Deprive companion animal of natural life (4%)