The Shelter Medicine Program at the University of Florida is frequently asked, “How many cats and dogs are admitted to shelters each year and what happens to them?” To answer this question, the program periodically conducts a statewide census of animals that pass through more than 150 animal shelters across the state.
Florida Animal Shelters Struggle to Maintain Lifesaving Gains Amid COVID Challenges
A new study by the University of Florida revealed that the state’s animal shelters struggled to hang on to years of lifesaving progress during the second year of the COVID-19 pandemic. Shelter admissions of free-roaming animals and former pets surged by more than 36,000 cats and dogs in 2021, an increase of 11% over the previous year. Euthanasia of cats increased for the first time since the Shelter Medicine Program at the College of Veterinary Medicine began reporting statewide data in 2013.
Shelters collectively saved 85% of the 357,418 animals they took in throughout the year, down from 87% the year before. Despite a difficult year, the euthanasia of 12% of animals entering shelters was still markedly reduced from the euthanasia rate of 42% in 2013.
“The challenges faced by Florida shelters during the pandemic reflect those of shelters across most of the country, including pressure to take in more animals, insufficient local adoptions, and decreased transports to regions of the country with more adoption capacity. As a result, animals are staying in shelters longer, leading to crowding, stressful conditions, more risk of disease, and higher euthanasia.“
— Dr. Julie Levy, Fran Marino Professor of Shelter Medicine Education and lead researcher.
However, even within the state, there is marked regional variation. Rural shelters tended to have lower per capita funding, while also experiencing higher per capita animal intake than shelters located in more populous areas. Rural areas can also be impacted by more severe veterinary shortages. As a result, the highest euthanasia rates were found in the state’s rural counties. Increasingly, rural shelters are partnering with their urban counterparts to move homeless pets into shelters where there is more demand for adoptable pets and to provide more essential veterinary services to rural residents. These partnerships help to eliminate regional lifesaving disparities and support a statewide safety net for pets and families in crisis.
Although data looks great for the overall picture when directly compared to statistics gathered in 2013, the current figures show upticks and even surges in both the number of animals accepted at intake, but also the totals in euthanasia.
Adoptions (61%) were the main avenue for live outcomes, followed by transfers to other groups (16%), return to owner (10%), and return to field of community cats (11%).
Data obtained from: