To date in 2024, dog adoptions in the U.S. have decreased 5% compared to 2023, while cat adoptions have declined 2%, according to Shelter Animals Count’s “2024 Mid-Year Report.” The fall in dog adoptions follows another decrease from 2019 to 2023, also 5%, but in that period, cat adoptions rose 14%, said an accompanying report from Hill’s Pet Nutrition, “2024 State of Shelter Pet Adoption Report.”
The common thread among all the data is that more people expressed concerns about the cost of caring for a pet — including the price of pet food — making it one of the key barriers preventing more adoptions and affecting the level of pet ownership in the country.
Breaking down the cost barriers
‘The Hill’s report, based on an April 2024 survey of 2,500 consumers representative of the general U.S. population, covered many reasons for declining pet adoptions, including dog and cat behavioral issues (or perceptions of them), availability of veterinary care and housing restrictions on pets. The cost of pet ownership wove through most of those and also stood on its own as a challenge.
Almost half of respondents, 43%, said overall cost was the largest challenge to pet ownership. Not surprisingly, those with annual household incomes of less than US$75,000 were more likely to cite that reason, and they were also the most likely to surrender a pet to a shelter due to financial constraints.
Specifically, 26% of respondents said the cost of pet food was a concern when considering adopting a pet, though more viewed veterinary care as the most expensive part of owning a pet, cited by 84% of respondents. For those earning less than US$50,000, 79% considered vet care as the most expensive aspect. For pet food, the numbers were 67% and 65%, respectively, considering it the most expensive part of pet ownership.
Consumers with lower household incomes were also more likely to face pet-related housing restrictions, according to the Hill’s survey. Restrictions included everything from bans against specific dog breeds and restrictions on the size, weight, species or number of pets allowed to the requirement of a pet deposit or monthly fees, or no pets allowed at all. Respondents earning less than US$50,000 a year encountered these restrictions at levels ranging from 12% to 27%, while those earning US$50,000 to $100,000 experienced them from 8% to 15%. People with incomes of more than US$100,000 encountered such restrictions at only 6% to 12%.
Pet food needs to offer affordable value
This report, along with the one from Shelter Animals Count (which describes itself as an “industry-led organization formed by a diverse group of animal welfare agencies to create and share The National Database of sheltered animal statistics”), offer a lot of data worth delving into if you’re seeking clues about where pet ownership and adoption in the U.S. might be headed.
Reviewing the data is worth the time. After all, the number of pets homed and loved translates directly into ones needing high-quality, nourishing food. These reports highlight that in these times of economic uncertainty, that pet food needs to be available at a value that most people can afford.
