No. 1 Pet Killer? Surprising Answer

Do you know what single entity in the United States kills more pets than anything else? You’ll be surprised.

Euthanasia, or the killing of unwanted pets by lethal injection or electrocution, better known by the euphemism “putting to sleep,” ends the lives of more dogs and cats in this country than any disease.

Each year in humane organizations across the United States, millions of dogs and cats (estimates vary from 3 to 10 million or more) are “put to sleep.” Many pets are euthanized simply because they are no longer wanted or because they have a behavioral problem; most are not euthanized because they have an incurable disease. Even worse, no one knows how many more animals are euthanized by veterinarians or other individuals.

Spaying and neutering pets is an effective way to curb the population explosion of unwanted animals. Contact your local vet or humane society for information on how you can help.

Read more: Pets, Cats, Dogs, Safety

Adapted from Dr. Kidd’s Guide to Herbal Cat Care (Storey Books, 2000). Copyright (c) 2000 by Richard H. Pitcairn and Susan Hubble Pitcairn. Reprinted by permisison of Storey Books.
Adapted from Dr. Kidd’s Guide to Herbal Cat Care, by Richard H. Pitcairn and Susan Hubble Pitcairn (Storey Books, 2000).

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

Nimue P.

6:30PM PDT on Apr 24, 2012

No kidding.

send a green star

Phyllis s.

8:15AM PDT on Apr 24, 2012

I have known this for quite a long time. it amazwes me at how many people don't!

Sue M.

7:25AM PDT on Apr 23, 2012

not surprising at all

Colleen W.

6:27AM PDT on Apr 18, 2012

Yes, I believe this and not only in the USA.

Ellen E.

5:26AM PDT on Mar 20, 2012

Spay and neuter is the answer, which means educating people - which ain't easy :(

For every person who thinks their kids should see "the miracle of birth" and lets their cat have kittens, that person should be in a shelter when 7 of those 8 kittens are euthanized for the simple fact that no one wants them as grown up cats.

800 cats and dogs PER HOUR are "put to sleep" in the US every single day.

Akay E.

12:30PM PST on Mar 9, 2012

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Pamela L.

5:58AM PST on Mar 6, 2012

Yes...this is sad! I wish I was cabable of spaying & neutering every animal out there.

Ruth P.

5:06AM PST on Mar 3, 2012

Of course this is the case, and it should be. What irresponsible pet owner lets their pets die of diseases?? If you pet is suffering and dying, you get them safely and swiftly put down. The cause is really the disease and not the injection (electrocution? Is that really legal in the US?), but it would be recorded as euthanasia.

Irresponsible people continuing to breed pets despite full shelters is another problem, but it's not accurately demonstrated with these statistics.

Antony M.

5:00AM PST on Mar 3, 2012

get cat out of cage

J.L. A.

9:08AM PST on Mar 2, 2012

sad societal commentary........