The State of Animal Welfare Today

Animals in US Households
Animals in US Shelters
No-Kill Shelters
Getting Animals Into Homes
Why Do Pets End Up In Shelters?
Initiatives to Increase Pet Lifesaving

Current number of Animals in US Households¹

2/3 of US households share their homes with cats and dogs

173 million cats and dogs live in 81 million households

29% of households are multi-pet and have cats and dogs

Key Stats About Cats in US Households

76 million

cats owned in the US

1.78

average cats per household

19%

fewer cats owned in the US since 2016

42.7 million (34%)

US households have a cat

12%

Increase in households with cats in past 10 years

15%

increase in households with cats in the past 20 years

Key Stats About Dogs in US Households

97 million

dogs owned in the US

1.53

average dogs per household

more dogs owned in the US since 2016

63.4 million (50%)

US households have a dog

39%

Increase in households with dogs in past 10 years

62%

increase in households with dogs in the past 20 years

Current Number of Animals in US Shelters²

83% of the 4.3 million cats and dogs that entered US shelters were saved in 2020.

Sadly, 347,000 cats and dogs were killed.

51% of animals entering shelters are dogs, 49% are cats.

Six states account for more than 50% of all cats and dogs killed in the US:

TX – 52,106
CA – 39,111
NC – 27,031
FL – 24,289
AL – 16,825
LA – 15,288

Click here to see all the states.

Lifesaving progress around the country

For more on lifesaving progress, see our printable infographic or the pet lifesaving dashboard.

No-kill shelters

The percent of U.S. shelters that are no-kill doubled in the last five years, from 24% in 2016 to 48% in 2020.⁶

86% of adults surveyed say they have at least heard the term no-kill.³

84% of adults feel it is very important or essential to have no-kill shelters in their area.³

49% of adults were not sure if shelters in their local areas are no-kill.³

80% of people are more likely to support a shelter working towards becoming no-kill.³

55% of adults would donate to a local shelter or rescue group to ensure shelters become no-kill.³

54% of adults would sign a petition to require no-kill shelters in their area.³

A 90% save rate for the animals entering a shelter is the common sense benchmark for measuring no-kill. Learn what no-kill means.

Nearly half (48%) of the shelters in the US meet the no-kill benchmark, accounting for a third of the counties with sheltering services.²

Getting animals into homes

Most important considerations when looking for a new pet: ⁴

Most important considerations when looking for a new pet

While intent to adopt is strong, there is a significant drop off in adoption behavior.

Why the difference? Barriers to adoption revolve around uncertainty and lack of ease in the process.

Barriers to Pet Adoption Where pets are acquired

For those acquiring a new pet dog or cat, there was 400% increase in purchasing online in 2021 from 2020.³

Why do pets end up in shelters? It’s not them, it’s us.⁵

Pets are relinquished to shelters for reasons related to the owner’s circumstances at roughly a ratio of 3 to 1 as compared to reasons specific to the animal. Unlike what many may believe, the animal’s behavior is not a leading reason for surrender.

Human vs. Animal Surrender Reason

Top reasons cats and dogs are surrendered

14.1% of dogs are surrendered due to housing issues, the top reason for canines, while more cats are surrendered due to the owner having too many animals (22.6%) than any other reason.

Top initiatives to increase pet lifesaving

Community Cats/Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR)

Trap-neuter-return (TNR) entails trapping, neutering, vaccinating, and returning community cats to their original outdoor locations

Community Cats/Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR)

While dog intakes are higher than cat intakes, more than twice as many cats are dying in shelters. 68% of the animals killed in shelters are cats (the remaining 32% are dogs).⁶

The most significant concerns about free roaming cats are the spread of diseases (58%), abandoned litters (51%), overpopulation (50%), and safety of the cats (44%).³

These concerns can be remedied through TNR (Trap Neuter Return) and community cat programs and yet 53% of adults have never heard of TNR.³

65% of adults favor the TNR process once it is explained to them.³

71% of adults prefer to leave stray cats in their communities if it means keeping them alive.³

Ending Breed Discrimination

Breed-specific legislation (BSL) bans or restricts certain types of dogs based on their appearance — usually because they are perceived as dangerous.

Ending Breed Discrimination

84% of Americans believe that federal, state or local government should not tell citizens what breeds of dog they cannot own.⁷

22 states have passed provisions against breed discriminatory legislation⁸, but only two states (Pennsylvania and Michigan) have laws prohibiting breed-based discrimination in the homeowner’s insurance market.⁹

Sadly, legislation in seven states currently discriminates against dogs seized in dogfighting cases, stigmatizing them as damaged and unadoptable and denying them an opportunity to prove otherwise.¹⁰

Stopping Puppy Mills

Puppy mills are “factory farms” for dogs. Dogs live in small cages, often only six inches larger than the dog on all sides, and are bred as frequently as possible.

Stopping Puppy Mills

More than 400 humane pet sales laws have been enacted, including four states (Maine, Maryland, California, Washington) that prohibit the sale of animals from breeding mills.¹¹

Since 2002, the percentage of households with purebred dogs has seen a decrease and households with mixed-breed dogs has seen an increase.¹

Purebred vs. Mixed-Breed Dogs

Spay/Neuter Programs and Education

Spaying and neutering reduces the number of animals who enter shelters and may also prevent medical and behavioral problems

Spay/Neuter Programs and Education

Despite the increases seen since 2000 in the rate of dogs and cats spayed and neutered, there has been a more recent downward trend.¹²

Spayed/Neutered

Cats can get pregnant as early as 4 months¹³

Increased Community Involvement

You can make a difference for dogs and cats in your own community and nationwide, no matter where you live.

Increased Community Involvement

Support pet-friendly laws and ordinances: Find an alert relevant to where you live and fill out the contact fields with your information.

Foster:To learn more about the benefits of fostering, check out our resources, FAQ’s, and contact information.

66% of respondents have fostered a dog or would consider it and 45% have fostered a cat or would consider it.³

Volunteer: You'll make a real difference in the lives of homeless pets, meet others who love animals, and have fun! There are thousands of Best Friends Network Partners all over the country, and they need your help tody.