The many benefits of adopting senior pets
Although adopting puppies and kittens is great, the charm of senior pets cannot be ignored. They need a home too.
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Nearly 5,000 cats, dogs and other former pets have been euthanized in Ocean and Monmouth county shelters in the last five years, according to data gathered and analyzed by the Asbury Park Press.
That number would have been much higher had an unusual reversal of fortunes taken place during that period – many of the owners who originally abandoned their pets had a change of heart, were given guidance and returned to take them back home, a practice called “redeeming.”
The redemption process also occurs when animals who were lost are taken to these shelters and picked up by their original owners.
So many animals find temporary homes in these spaces, waiting on that person or family to take them to a new home. But the reality is that not all of them can make it out.
The numbers reported in the past five years by shelters in Monmouth and Ocean counties show that of the 42,501 animals impounded, 4,790 were euthanized.
Following a story by the Press on the most popular names for dogs in several Monmouth County towns, APP.com followed up by learning how many pets are taken in by the shelters and what happens to them.
Behavioral issues, incurable life-threatening injuries and posing danger to other animals and humans account for the overwhelming majority of these euthanasia cases, according to Executive Director of the Monmouth County SPCA, Ross Licitra.
Of that total euthanized, the majority (1,560) were cats, while 556 dogs and 346 other kinds of animals were also put down, according to shelter statistics.
Sometimes there are cases where experts can make life saving differences.
Monmouth County SPCA Director of Shelter Operations Amy Richard described a situation where a possible euthanasia case was converted into a redemption.
“A person initiated a surrender request for their cat. They didn’t want to give up their cat, but it had medical concerns, and they were quoted a high ($3,000) fee,” explained Richard.
“The cat was crying in pain for, she said, five months, and she was considering euthanasia as an alternative to surrender if we couldn't take the cat. Our Medical Director reviewed all the records, spoke with the owner, and was able to work out a way for us to do the surgery at a lower cost for her that she was able to afford⸺ surrender diverted.” said Richard.
Across both counties, 6,660 pets were redeemed in these shelters. That’s nearly fifteen percent of the total animals impounded.
Adoption data mixed
While some reunite with their pets, others stop by hoping to take home a new animal to call their own, with cats, dogs and other animals reaching a massive 26,124 adoptions from 2019 to 2023.
Of these adoptions, 16,475 were cats, 8,393 were dogs, and 1,256 were other animals including rabbits, hamsters, guinea pigs, birds and even some farm animals.
Many shelter directors agreed that they see far more cats impounded than any other animal which might explain cats being adopted nearly twice as much as dogs. Feral cat populations also grow at a much faster rate, with many unadoptable and not included in annual reports to the New Jersey Department of Health.
“The health department – being a government agency – has the responsibility to protect the public health, so feral adult cats are unavailable for adoption and that greatly skews our annual numbers since feral cats are the majority of animals we receive each year,” said Brian Lippai, Director of Public Health Information for the Ocean County Animal Shelters in an email.
Housing plays a role in animal surrenders
Other shelters saw a rise in animal surrenders in the past five years due to housing-related restrictions that leave owners in uncertain situations with their pets. This can range from housing instability, evictions or to simply moving to a new place where pets aren’t allowed.
“With today’s housing market, residential units are being sold at record high prices, which is leading to a turnover in property ownership and, in many cases, landlords implementing stricter no-pet policies,” explained Social Media Manager of Associated Humane Societies, Olivia Rodriguez in an email.
