U.S. Public Opinion On Humane Treatment Of Stray Cats
An overwhelming majority of Americans believes that leaving a stray cat outside to live out his life is more humane than having him caught and put down, according to a nationally representative survey conducted for Alley Cat Allies. These results reveal a significant disparity between the public’s humane ethic and the operating policy of most U.S. animal pounds and shelters.
[Excerpt from report.]
“If you saw a stray cat in your community and could only choose between two courses of action – leaving the cat where it is outside or having the cat caught and then put down – which would you consider to be the more humane option for the cat?”
- Leave the cat where it is (81%)
- Have the cat put down (14%)
- Don’t know/refused (5%)
“If you knew that the stray cat you saw would die in two years because it would be hit by a car, which would you consider to be the most humane option today?”
- Leave the cat where it is and let it live two years before dying (72%)
- Have the cat put down (21%)
- Don’t know/refused (7%)
The Alley Cat Allies survey also found that more than two in five Americans have put out food or water for a stray cat, with more than one in five respondents reporting to have done so in the past year.
In summary, the results of this survey found that the animal control and sheltering system that promotes the euthanasia of stray cats as being in the cats’ best interest is at odds with the humane values of most Americans.