Pethealth, Inc has released its PetPoint report, with analysis on the data for the rate of shelter intakes and euthanasia for dogs and cats.

The data comes from approximately 1,770 animal-welfare organizations in the United States and Canada that use PetPoint to manage their day-to-day operations. The following numbers are based on comparisons with 2010 and 2011 numbers.

MarketWatch.com published the results, which offer better news for cats – notably a 6 percent drop in feline intakes,  including a 5 percent decline in owner surrenders and a 9 percent dip in stray cat intakes.

The figures for dogs was not quite as good – with an increased in dog adoptions of only 2 percent in 2011 and a decline in the euthanasia rate for dogs of 3 percent.

Hopefully, we can see these rates improve significantly going forward. But we should remember that any analysis of euthanasia rates and shelter intakes doesn’t include the dogs and cats that never make it into a shelter or are never saved by a rescue organization.

Until we see a significant rise in the number people who become aware of the importance of spaying and neutering and until we see laws and enforcement that shut down the entities that contribute monumentally to the over-population of homeless pets (puppy mills, greyhound racing, etc) the problem will continue.