For the first time in years, the popularity of cats seems to be declining in Quebec, and fewer and fewer households own one, according to a Léger survey commissioned by the Association of Veterinary Doctors of Quebec.
Although the percentage of Quebec households that have at least one cat (33%) seems stable since last year, according to data released Tuesday, the proportion of those who own two or more has reached its lowest level in four years, or 11%.
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There is only one cat in 22% of Quebec households, two cats in 8% of households, three cats in 2% of households and four or more cats in only 1% of them.
Also, more women own a cat (37%) than men (29%).
The Association of Veterinary Doctors of Quebec (AMVQ) now estimates that there are 1,782,000 cats in Quebec homes currently, while there will be more than 2 million in 2023.
For the AMVQ, these figures are “worrying”, particularly if it is a consequence of the increase in the cost of living. Indeed, this could “force some owners to make difficult choices […] but also intensify the number of abandonments, and even euthanasias.
-The increase in the number of cats taken in by shelters or animal management centers in recent months “seems to go in the same direction,” deplores the association.
And the dogs?
The dog population seems to resist this phenomenon of abandonment. The survey shows that they are present in 28% of homes in Quebec. There are currently 1,388,000 dogs, up from 1,193,000 in 2023.
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It is in households in the metropolitan community of Montreal that dogs are least present (24%). Also, dogs are much more present (42%) in homes with children than in those without (23%).
In 11% of Quebec households surveyed, there is both a cat and a dog.
The survey was conducted from December 6 to 9, 2024, among 1011 Quebecers.
