Stray and Owner-Relinquished Cats in Australia-Estimation of Numbers Entering Municipal Pounds, Shelters and Rescue Groups and Their Outcomes

Abstract

Access to comprehensive municipal pound, animal welfare shelters, and rescue group data for admissions and outcomes for stray and owner-relinquished cats in Australia is currently lacking. This hinders effective assessment of existing management strategies for domestic cats by animal management agencies. Our study aimed to estimate the numbers of cat admissions and intakes to Australian municipal council pounds, animal welfare organizations (excluding smaller animal welfare organizations thought to have annual cat intakes of less than 500), and animal rescue groups and their respective outcomes for 2018-2019 (pre-COVID). Unavailable municipal council data were imputed based on known data and council human populations. Only Victoria and New South Wales had publicly available municipal data, and only RSPCA had publicly available data in all states. We estimated a total of 179,615 (7.2/1000 human residents) admissions to pounds, shelters, and rescue groups in 2018-2019, with an estimated 5% reclaimed, 65% rehomed, and 28% euthanized. Reclaim rates were low across all the agencies. Councils operating their own pound had nearly double the euthanasia rate (estimated at 46%) compared to animal welfare organizations (25%). Rescue groups rehomed an estimated 35% of the total number of cats rehomed by all agencies. The upper quartiles of councils with intakes of >50 cats in Victoria and New South Wales had estimated euthanasia rates from 73% to 98%, and 67% to 100%, respectively. We recommend that comprehensive municipal pound, shelter, and rescue statistics be routinely calculated using standardized methods and made available publicly in a timely fashion. This would inform management strategies to optimize live outcomes and therefore reduce the negative mental health impacts on staff tasked with euthanizing healthy and treatable cats and kittens.

Keywords: Australia; cats; euthanized; pound; reclaim; rehome; rescue; semi-owned; shelter; stray; surrendered; transfer.

Figure A1

Hypothetical example to demonstrate the definitions of admission and intake, and statistical calculations, used in the current study. In this hypothetical example, during the study period, 6 admissions commenced and one cat (cat 5) had 2 admissions. The total number of intakes during the study period was 7; municipal councils 3; animal rescue groups 3; RSPCA 2. Intake and admission are distinct concepts, and both are useful for different reasons. Intakes reflect the workload for each organization whereas admissions reflect the experience from the cat’s perspective from entry to an organization to either leaving the care of any organization or euthanasia (whether these occur from or in the original organization that the cat entered or another). Outcome statistics for the study period by type of organization for intakes were: Municipal councils: reclaimed 33% (1/3), transferred out 33% (1/3), euthanized 33% (1/3); RSPCA: rehomed 50% (1/2), transferred out 50% (1/2); animal rescue group: rehomed 100% (3/3). Outcome statistics for the study period for admissions were: reclaimed 17% (1/6), rehomed 67% (4/6), euthanized 17% (1/6). In this hypothetical example, no admissions had commenced before the study period and all 6 admissions ended during the study period.

Figure 1

Numbers of cat admissions to municipal councils, welfare organizations and animal rescue groups per 1000 human residents and total number by state/territory in 2018–2019. Abbreviations: NSW (New South Wales); VIC (Victoria); SA (South Australia); ACT (Australian Capital Territory); QLD (Queensland); NT (Northern Territory); WA (Western Australia); TAS (Tasmania).

Figure 2

Percentages of outcome events during the year where the cat was returned to owner, total number returned, and in brackets, number returned to owner per 1000 residents in 2018–2019.

Figure 3

Percentages of outcome events in the year where the cat was rehomed, total number of rehomes, and in brackets, number rehomed per 1000 residents in 2018–2019 by state/territory.

Figure 4

Percentages of outcome events during the year where the cat was euthanized, total number euthanized, and in brackets, number euthanized per 1000 residents in 2018–2019 by state/territory.

Figure 5

Intakes for municipal councils that operated pounds (numbers above bars), intakes per 1000 human residents (left-hand axis) and percentages of outcome events where the cat was reclaimed, rehomed, and euthanized (right-hand axis) in 2018–2019 by state/territory. ¹ The state government in ACT and the municipal councils in TAS did not operate a pound for cats.

Figure 6

Intakes for RSPCA (numbers above bars), intakes per 1000 human residents (left-hand axis), and percentages of outcome events where the cat was returned to owner, rehomed, and euthanized (right-hand axis) in 2018–2019 by state/territory. Abbreviations: NSW (New South Wales); VIC (Victoria); SA (South Australia); ACT (Australian Capital Territory); QLD (Queensland); NT (Northern Territory); WA (Western Australia); TAS (Tasmania).

Figure 7

Percentages of outcome events where the cat was returned to owner, rehomed, transferred out, and euthanized in 2018–2019 nationally for municipal councils that operated pound services, RSPCA, and other welfare organizations (i.e., not including RSPCA or animal rescue groups).