- 6-8 million dogs & cats enter shelters yearly
- 3-4 millions dogs & cats are euthanized at shelters yearly
- 25% of dogs in shelters are purebreds
- Average number of litters a fertile cat can produce yearly: 3
- Average number of kittens per litter: 4-6
- In seven years, one female cat and her offspring can theoretically produce 420,000 cats.
- Average number of litters a fertile dog can produce yearly: 2
- Average number of puppies per litter: 6-10
- In six years, one female dog and her offspring can theoretically produce 67,000 dogs.
- 45 cats and 15 dogs are born for every 1 human being in the United States.
- More than 70,000 puppies and kittens are born every day, compared with 10,000 human births each day in the United States.
Spay/Neuter surgeries are performed in partnership with IVO (International Veterinary Organization) for Contra Costa County residents only. Each animal that is funded through CCHS’s SNAP program costs CCHS an average of $52.00*.
* This is an average cost and takes into account both spays and neuters for cats and dogs. CCHS does not operate a veterinary clinic and does not perform these surgeries. This is the average cost reimbursed to local, affordable veterinary hospitals with which CCHS’s SNAP program works.