Cat Survey Conducted by the JazzPurr Society for Animal Protection

Posted by
Jennifer Copley
Mar 26, 2009

The Jazzpurr Society for Animal Protection conducted a survey of 224 randomly chosen people in the Windsor, Ontario, area, which found that 26% were cat owners (with an average of 1.34 cats per person), and of these:

Nearly 1/4 had adopted strays
19% had obtained their pets from a Humane Society or other shelter
7% bought them from pet stores
2% said they were born at home

Of the cat owners, 76% had had their cats fixed. Of those who did not, about 1/3 cited expense as a barrier, whereas 17% said that their cats were not allowed outside and an additional 17% said that their cats were too young.

The majority of owners (86%) had had their cats vaccinated, and 67% kept them indoors at all times. However, only 26% had purchased identification for their cats.

Of the 8.6% who had, at one time, given up a cat, many did so because they (the owners) were ill. Among these surrendered cats:

40% were euthanized
20% were adopted by strangers
20% were given to friends
20% were not specified

Other interesting statistics from the study include the fact that more than 1/3 of respondents (both cat owners and non-owners) had seen stray cats in their area, 10% fed these cats, and 3% had had a neighbour complain about their feeding strays. An overwhelming majority (93%) supported the protection of urban wildlife and 83% believed it was important to protect feral cats, while 11% wanted to see them trapped and killed. However, 88% supported free spay/neuter clinics.

The Jazzpurr Society For Animal Protection is a registered charity that facilitates the adoption of homeless cats, as well as providing public education and free spay-neuter and vaccination programs for feral cats. Jazzpurr also runs Windsor's first no-kill, cage-free shelter for homeless felines. The survey's Executive Summary is available online as a PDF.

For more cat surveys, facts, and statistics, see: