The Kitty State of The Union: Cat Health and Numbers in the United States

          In The United States of America, the population of domestic cats has grown to over 153 million as of January 2011. While many are housed as pets, euthanized, or sterilized to prevent reproduction, current control methods fall short of solving the issue of strays. An estimated 70 million cats live outside in feral colonies facing physical challenges and negatively impacting the natural ecosystem. With the majority of animal shelters already operating at full capacity, the current status of feline overpopulation calls for a new, low-cost solution to house and socialize mass numbers of cats. 

          Stray cat overpopulation in the United States presents an issue both to cats themselves and the ecosystems they impact. As domesticated animals, cats have no natural ability to combat fleas, ear mites, frostbite, infections, and disease, not to mention injuries or cruelty. Add scarce food and shelter to the mix and many feral cats suffer needlessly. In addition to challenges faced by cats, they pose a threat to native wildlife. According to the American Bird Conservancy, domestic cats are considered to have been primarily responsible for the extinction of 33 bird species since the 1600s. Sterilization and human companionship alone cannot provide solutions to the issue of wildlife predation as even well-fed cats take prey.

With cats reproducing at a rapid rate, too many are left without homes and care.

          Current popular control methods include housing animals as pets, a practice accounting for approximately 54% of U.S. cats, euthanasia, and efforts to reduce reproduction such as sterilization and breeding restrictions. With most shelters operating at full capacity, new solutions to feline overpopulation are desperately needed.