Current Status and Challenges of Cat Euthanasia

Hello, this is Kuriyama from Poponeko. Recently, the terms "rescue cat" and "community cat" have become quite well-known.

Stray cat might be the image that comes to mind, but rescue cats and community cats are cats that have been saved from being euthanized.

Although the number of cats being euthanized is on a downward trend, it is still higher than that of dogs and has not yet reached zero. In this article, I would like to think about the current situation and challenges surrounding cat euthanasia.

The Current Situation of Cat Euthanasia in 2021

Can you imagine how many cats are euthanized each year? According to the Ministry of the Environment, the number of euthanized animals in Japan in fiscal year 2019 was 5,635 dogs and 27,108 cats.

Number of Euthanized Dogs and Cats [Trend Graph from 2011 to 2020]

*Source: Ministry of the Environment. Created by Poponeko based on “Status of Intake and Euthanasia of Dogs and Cats from 2004 to 2019.”

As the trend graph shows, the number of cats being euthanized is decreasing.

While this is significantly lower compared to the 1970s and 1980s, when over a million dogs and cats were euthanized annually, the reality is that we are still far from zero.

About 20% is Due to Abandonment by Owners

In fiscal year 2019, 53,342 cats were taken into custody, of which 10,403 were brought to public health centers or animal welfare centers by their owners. It is very sad, but about 20% of the cats are being abandoned by their owners.

Being brought to a public health center or animal welfare center because "I can no longer keep it," only to be euthanized if a foster home isn't found... This is something that must never happen.

More Than Half of Euthanized Cats are Kittens

Cats are highly fertile creatures. Because they can give birth twice or more a year, their population will continue to grow unless they are spayed or neutered. For this reason, kittens are brought to public health and animal welfare centers for various reasons—perhaps a pet cat gave birth to kittens that the owner cannot keep, or someone is struggling with kittens born to a stray cat.

In fiscal year 2019, 53,342 cats were taken in, 35,777 of which were kittens. It is heartbreaking to realize that of the 27,108 cats euthanized, 18,176 were kittens. The high number of euthanized kittens is due to the fact that they are often brought in already in a weakened state and require meticulous care.

If they have not yet been weaned, they need to be fed milk every few hours and assisted with excretion. It is very difficult for the staff at public health and animal welfare centers to manage this alone, resulting in a higher percentage of kitten euthanasia.

Why More Cats Than Dogs are Euthanized

Because stray dogs are always captured for rabies prevention, the number of dogs without owners is inherently very low.

Cats are not subject to the Rabies Prevention Act. As a result, they are not captured, their population increases rapidly, and the number of "ownerless cats" being euthanized is overwhelmingly higher.

Challenges to Tackle for Zero Cat Euthanasia

The number of cat euthanasias has decreased significantly over the past decade. The reason it hasn't reached zero is that the challenges surrounding cat euthanasia remain a major hurdle.

1. Strict Adherence to Lifetime Care

About 20% of cats brought to public health or animal welfare centers are due to owner abandonment. Moving, the cat isn't affectionate, it grew too big—it is a major problem that some owners abandon their pets for such irresponsible reasons.

The 2012 revision of the Animal Welfare Act explicitly states the "responsibility of lifetime care," and public health and animal welfare centers are now able to refuse such selfish requests for intake.

You cannot take on a life simply because it is "cute."We believe we need systems and structures where pets aren't bought casually at pet stores, but are only cared for by people who can take responsibility until the very end.

Preventing Lost Pets is Also the Owner's Responsibility

Some cats housed in public health or animal welfare centers are lost, and their owners cannot be found. In such cases, euthanasia still takes place.

Cats are master escape artists. Do not be complacent just because you keep your cat strictly indoors. Be sure to use a cat collar with an ID tag, and consider getting a microchip for complete peace of mind. This serves as proof of ownership and helps in searching for them if they go missing.

2. Promoting TNR

There is an initiative called TNR (Trap-Neuter-Return). It involves spaying or neutering stray cats and returning them to their original living environment. This is also known as "community cat activities."

By performing TNR, you can prevent the overpopulation of stray cats. In other words, you can reduce the number of kittens housed in public health or animal welfare centers.

Cats that have undergone TNR are called community cats or "Sakura cats" (cherry blossom cats) and live out their one-time lives while being watched over by volunteers. Because they no longer go into heat, this also prevents troubles such as noisy meowing, fighting, and foul-smelling urine.

TNR is driven by private organizations such as the Animal Fund, which Poponeko also supports. Funding for these activities comes from donations and the volunteers' own pockets. The surgeries are performed by veterinarians who support the cause.To advance TNR systematically, we still need a lot more support.

Spaying and Neutering Pet Cats to Prevent Hoarding Collapse

Cats are highly fertile, and it is difficult for an amateur to control their reproduction systematically. If you keep multiple cats without spaying or neutering, or allow them to roam freely, they will end up with unwanted pregnancies.

It is clear that by repeatedly allowing pregnancies and births under the guise of "leaving them natural," one can quickly lead to a multi-cat hoarding collapse. Considering the stress of heat cycles and the risk of disease, I highly recommend spaying or neutering.

3. Finding Foster Homes to Prevent Euthanasia

To prevent cats housed in public health or animal welfare centers from being euthanized, we must find them "foster parents" (adoptive owners).

These efforts are known as "rescue cat activities," where people take in cats that have been housed and care for them in their own homes or at rescue cat shelters while looking for permanent owners.

Of course, adoption events are also hosted by public health and animal welfare centers. We face the major challenge of how to make adopting a rescue cat a more standard choice than buying from a pet shop.

Online Adoption Events Born During the Pandemic

During the pandemic, there was the problem of not being able to hold in-person adoption events. Rescue cat shelters are also full. They cannot accept new rescue cats. It is a very difficult situation.

Amidst this, ideas have emerged to recruit owners via video streaming or social media, thinking that if in-person events are not possible, we should hold adoption events online.

"Milk Volunteers" Who Save Kitten Lives

Volunteers who care for kittens until they are weaned and then help find them homes are called milk volunteers. Caring for kittens is tough, but there are kittens whose lives are saved thanks to these milk volunteers.

Supporting Rescue Cat Cafes

There is something called a "rescue cat cafe," which serves as both a shelter and a cat cafe. These are places for encounters between rescue cats and potential owners, and also places to raise funds to care for the cats.

Even if you cannot adopt, simply visiting a rescue cat cafe helps in reducing the number of cats being euthanized.

Summary

Many people have been working on the problem of cat euthanasia for many years.

Results are beginning to show through practices like ensuring lifetime care, preventing stray cat reproduction (TNR), and finding owners for rescue cats. Even so, the reality is that we are still far from zero cat euthanasias.

Whether it be systems, funding, or changes in awareness... there are many challenges to overcome, but I would be happy if this article helped you learn more about community cat and rescue cat activities.