22% of pets in South Africa are homeless, according to new report – research shines a light on challenges facing pets today

New research shows the scale of pet homelessness in South Africa, estimating there are 4.5 million homeless cats and dogs in shelters and on the street

CAPE TOWN - (29 January 2024) A global coalition of animal welfare experts, including Humane Society International, in partnership with Mars, released the results from the largest ever international study into pet homelessness. ‘The State of Pet Homelessness Project’ set out to understand the scale of pet homelessness and factors that contribute to pets being on the streets or in shelters, shining a light on the needs of a huge hidden population of pets today.

The ambition of the project is to drive more informed and targeted action to help reduce homelessness and ensure pets get the care they need. The findings from the survey conducted in South Africa revealed a stark picture that 22% of cats and dogs are either living on the streets or currently in a shelter waiting to find a home. This equates to 4.05 million homeless cats and dogs in our country, of which 650 000 live in shelters and 3.4 million are stray.

To help reduce pet homelessness and manage the population of community-owned cats and dogs in South Africa, Humane Society International/Africa launched its “Healthy Pets, Healthier Community” pilot program. The program offers free-of-charge sterilization as well as primary veterinary care in lower income communities, and to date almost 1500 animals have been sterilized.

Photo credit: Kobus Tollig

Commenting on the index, Dr Audrey Delsink, acting companion animal and engagement campaign manager for Humane Society International/Africa says: " HSI/Africa expresses deep appreciation for the report’s recognition of pet homelessness in South Africa. With a significant number of stray pets struggling to endure life on our streets, the report highlights the critical role of population control through sterilization. Our “Healthy Pets, Healthier Community” program strives to prevent unwanted pets through mass sterilization, humane education, and primary veterinary care in lower income communities.

Since the launch of the “Healthy Pets, Healthy Community” pilot program in November 2022, almost 1500 community cats and dogs have been sterilized, with hundreds more receiving vaccinations to date. Sadly, 93% of South Africans do not have access to basic primary veterinary care. This, together with the significant number of homeless animals, demonstrates that the program plays a crucial role in enhancing animal well-being. Looking forward, we aim to maintain our current program and extend the campaign to a community in Cape Town, where a significantly higher number of animals will be reached.”

Jeffrey Flocken, President, Humane Society International said: “Dog and cat homelessness is a hugely complex issue, this new data will help animal welfare organizations, policymakers, pet professionals, academics and researchers to better understand the scale and factors influencing the issue, which can in turn support the most impactful interventions.”

Helen McDougall, General Manager for Mars Multisales Southern Africa adds: "As pets continue to play an increasingly vital role in the tapestry of countless communities, enriching our social and emotional well-being, Mars, as the world's leading producer of pet food, hopes that the Annual Pet Homelessness Index will play a role in highlighting the challenges faced by companion animals and their advocates in our country, as well as the opportunities to enhance the quality of life for all.”

The ‘State of Pet Homelessness Project’ used data from over 900 global and local sources, along with almost 30,000 public surveys and 200 expert interviews to build a picture of pet homelessness across: Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, Greece, India, Indonesia, Japan, Lithuania, Mexico, New Zealand, The Philippines, Poland, South Africa, Turkey, Thailand, the USA, and  the UK.

While each country has different challenges, the data also reveals several common themes across the twenty countries:  

#1  Pet–friendly housing limitations: Almost 1 in 5 people that are considering giving up their cat or dog in the near future say it’s because they are moving home and cannot take their pet with them. And almost half of those who have rehomed a pet in the past did so for that reason.

#2  Pet behaviour: Globally around 15% of pet owners are considering giving up their pet in the next 12 months. More than a third of people who said they had rehomed a pet in the past said that behaviour was a factor. 

#3  Stemming homeless population increase: 

A surprising number of people lose their pet, and often don’t get reunited. Almost half of people surveyed said they had lost a pet in the past, and of those almost 60% were never found by their owners. 

Globally, pet owners report that only ~50% of owned dogs​ and ~60% cats​ are sterilized, meaning the remainder, if allowed to reproduce unchecked, result in unplanned litters, exacerbating the problem. 

Photo credit: Kobus Tollig

Loïc Moutault, Global President Mars Petcare said: “We know that pets bring enormous benefit to our lives, we want to help ensure all pets get the care they need. For every two dogs or cats that are part of a family or community in the countries surveyed, there is another one that is not so fortunate. That is not the world we want for pets, and we hope this data will help drive targeted interventions to give more pets the life they deserve. Big and small actions can make a difference, from considering adopting a pet at the individual level, to changes that mean more rental accommodation allows pets. We are setting out to support 30million vulnerable pets over the next five years and hope this data will allow us - and others - to make interventions that make a big difference.”

Working alongside Mars on this global data initiative is an advisory panel of leading animal welfare experts from organizations including: Humane Society International, Alliance for Contraception in Cats & Dogs, International Partnership for Dogs and the International Companion Animal Management Coalition. 

To mark the release of this data, Mars has made a $500,000 donation to Humane Society International to fund projects in India, South Africa and Mexico to make interventions informed by the data. These programs will deliver reproduction control, training and interventions for thousands of animals living without the care they need. This builds on a significant history of work by Mars and its partners supporting almost 10 million vulnerable pets across the world over the last three years. Including donating more than 100 million meals to vulnerable pets, neutering over 30 thousand free-roaming animals and providing over 100,000 pets with comprehensive preventive care, including wellness checks, preventive medicine and vaccinations.

To find out more about the State of Pet Homelessness Project and to go deeper into the data visit: www.stateofpethomelessness.com