Adoptions will be free at the SPCA on Sunday in Montreal. The organization must empty its cages to make room for the many animals that have been abandoned recently. As is the case every year, moving is the cause of many abandonments, but the cost of living is weighing more and more heavily in the balance.
Some forty cats, 17 dogs, 25 rabbits, 20 small animals and a bird could find a new owner during the free adoption event which will take place on Sunday, July 14 at the SPCA in Montreal.
The organization is running out of space after receiving 153 pets between June 29 and July 5, or around twenty per day.
A quarter of these abandonments were motivated by a move, maintains the SPCA.
Since 2023, abandonments have been happening one after another at the SPCA Montréal. In fact, for over a year, the occupancy rate for abandoned dogs has remained at its maximum, said Laurence Massé, director of the SPCA.
Victims of the rising cost of living
An increasingly cited reason for abandoning a cat or dog is the inability to pay for pet-related expenses, including veterinary bills and medications.
The price of pet food also increased by 25% to 42% last year, says Laurence Massé.
The organization estimates that it costs an average of $2,400 per year to properly care for a cat, between $2,700 and $3,400 for a dog and $1,500 for a rabbit.
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Effective initiatives
Contrary to what one might think, free adoption days do not particularly attract families who cannot afford to provide for the needs of an animal.
These events rather have the effect of creating a craze that motivates people to adopt. The latter are nevertheless supervised as usual during the adoption process.
People looking to adopt a new companion this Sunday will need to talk to an adoption counselor to determine which animal is best suited to their lifestyle.
Furthermore, the SPCA assures that there is no increase in the number of animal returns after these special adoption days.
– With information from Andrea Lubeck