Researchers often try to understand why cats are surrendered to shelters. This study looks at the factors that lead people to return cats after they’ve been adopted.
[SUMMARY BY: JEANETTE SHUTAY | ORIGINAL STUDY BY: MUNDSCHAU, V., & SUCHAK, M. (2023) | PUBLISHED: FEBRUARY 21, 2023]
The goal of many animal shelters is to find forever homes for their
animals and to minimize the number of adoptable animals being euthanized.
While it’s a victory when an animal is adopted, the story doesn’t always end
there — unfortunately, companion animals are sometimes returned to the
shelter.
The authors of this paper point out that being returned is likely stressful
for cats. Similarly, research has found that people who return animals after
adopting them from a shelter may experience mental and emotional stress.
They also may be less likely to adopt again in the future. Many shelters
have limited space, so when a cat is returned, it often means other cats
have to be turned away.
In other words, understanding why cats are returned to shelters is important
for many reasons. However, studies don’t always paint a complete picture of
shelter cat returns. Some studies simplify the reasons why cats are brought
back to a shelter, or they underestimate the number of returns as they only
consider cases that occur within 30 days of adoption.
In this study, the authors tried to understand the reasons why people return
cats to shelters. They focused on factors related to cats (e.g., behavioral
problems) as well as guardian issues (e.g., housing issues, allergies) and
the location of a cat before adoption (e.g., group housing, single cage
setting, foster care). They also differentiated between cats returned in the
short term (within 30 days) vs. the long term (after 30 days).
The data were collected between January 2014-December 2016 at a large
shelter in the Northeastern United States. The authors looked at the
outcomes of 2642 cats older than one year who entered the shelter for the
first time and were adopted during the study period. In this sample, cats in
foster care had the highest median age at adoption (5.01 years), followed by
group housing (4.03 years), cages (3.10 years), and offsite housing (3.08
years).
Overall, 12% of the 2642 cats were returned within four years of their first
adoption. Of those, around 91% were returned once, 7% were returned twice,
and 2% were returned three times. Of those returned, 85% were eventually
adopted again, while 12% were euthanized and 3% were transferred to another
shelter or rescue. In terms of the timing of the return, about half of the
cats were returned within 30 days. While the vast majority of returned cats
were adopted again, cats returned within 30 days were significantly more
likely to be readopted than those who were returned after 30 days.
The authors identified common reasons why cats were returned:
Age was another significant factor in the likelihood of being returned,
as cats who were returned were marginally older than those who weren’t (3.42
years vs. 3.04 years). Also, cats with a bite history were more than 4x
likely to be returned compared to cats without a bite history. Finally, a
cat’s location prior to being adopted was a significant predictor of return
rates, as cats adopted from group housing were most likely to be returned,
followed by cats in single cages and cats in offsite locations. Cats in
foster care had the lowest return rate.
The results of this study suggest that cats are returned for many different
reasons that may differ depending on a cat’s age, location in the shelter,
and other external circumstances. The authors also point out that short-term
reasons for returning a cat seem to differ from long-term reasons — while
people who return cats within 30 days seem to have issues with their cat
adjusting to a new home setting, those who return cats beyond 30 days often
experience a change in their personal or financial circumstances.
While it’s not always possible to predict when a cat will be returned, the
authors suggest several ways that shelters can plan ahead. For example, it
may be beneficial to offer programs that provide assistance with basic
needs, such as food, affordable vet care, and behavioral training. Guardians
who are temporarily unable to care for their cats because of homelessness,
domestic violence, or a change in circumstances may benefit from temporary
foster programs.
Finally, veterinarians and shelters can team up to counsel adopters on the costs of caring for cats, the importance of early bonding, and other important information that will prepare guardians for the reality of living with a cat for life.
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