Online purchasing trend continues for cats
"Cats Protection will continue to find ways in which the charity can help support cat ownership" - Peter Shergold.
In the UK, numbers of cat adoptions are decreasing, as more owners are buying cats – particularly online.
Cats Protection has shared statistics on the nature of the UK cat market from the Cats and Their Stats (CATS) Report 2022, the largest cat survey of its kind, which sheds light on the relationship between people and pet cats.
In the past five years, a trend has become apparent, with the number of cats purchased instead of adopted has risen by 12 per cent.
Of those surveyed, 76 per cent of new cat owners in the last 12 months said that they had bought their cats online.
Head of Field Operations at Cats Protection, Peter Shergold, commented on this trend: “The CATS Report 2022 has shown a worrying uplift in the purchase of cats online.
“Of course, there are many responsible sellers out there but there are also unscrupulous ones who hide behind the anonymity of the internet to sell kittens that are far too young to have been taken from their mothers, or that are in poor health.”
In order to understand why this has become a trend, it is important to explore owner motivation. In the CATS Report, 29 per cent of those surveyed cited convenience as their reason for buying rather than adopting, stating that is was the quickest or easiest way to get the cat they want.
Other reasons for buying rather than adopting were wanting a particular cat (25 per cent), wanting a certain breed (16 per cent) or specifically wanting a kitten (17 per cent).
Peter continued: “There is a clear necessity for rehoming charities to adapt their adoption process to encourage consumers to adopt instead of shopping for cats online.
“The welfare of the cat is the most important thing, so we need to find ways to meet this need for convenience while protecting the cat.
“One way to do this could be direct homing where cats would be homed straight from the person giving up the cat to the adopter, with Cats Protection facilitating the process.”
Facebook is playing an increasingly bigger role in the UK cat market, with almost a quarter of purchased cats found on Facebook – an increase from 16 per cent in 2021.
Discussing Facebook's rise in popularity as a source for buying cats, Peter added: “However, there is some positive news.
“Following Cats Protection’s Big Kitten Con campaign, Facebook responded saying that it has taken down a number of ads, and now has a full-screen alert when someone searches on the platform for a kitten to buy, informing the user of Facebook’s rules.”
Two independent vets have launched a podcast to help owners strengthen their bond with pets. Dr Maggie Roberts and Dr Vanessa Howie, who have worked in both veterinary practice and major charities, are keen to use their experience to enable people to give pets a better life.
