23 facts about domestic and stray cats in Portugal

The information comes from data from the first National Census of Wandering Animals released today by the ICNF (Institute for Nature Conservation and Forests).
Mainland Portugal has more than 930,000 free-roaming animals, including 830,541 cats and 101,015 dogs. Cats outstrip dogs by a factor of eight indicating and entirely different relationship between cats and people compared to dogs and people.
Vehicles hit 4,640 animals between 2019 and 2022, 4,443 dogs and 197 cats, with 2020 being the year in which the most road accidents were reported (1,428 and 84, respectively).
5.9% of the participates said that they had been attacked by stray cats whi 7.2% said they had been attacked by stray dogs.
The Portuguese often feed and water stray cats and dogs.
The Portuguese are less likely to microchip cats than dogs and in general take close responsibility for cats compared to dogs.
26.8% of respondents had one or two cats.
17.2 % owned three cats.
7.8% owned four cats.
5.4% owned five cats.
14.7% owned more that five cats. This is about 1 in 7 cat owners. A high percentage.
They own cats for companionship, the usual reason.
68.6% of cat owners ‘found’ their cat. Presumed to be the adoption of a stray cat.
29.5% adopted their cat or cats from shelters.
19.6% obtained their cat or cats from friends or family.
4% purchased their cat from a breeder.
3.8% acquired their cat on the internet.
2.7% bred their cats themselves.
For comparison to dogs; 92% of owners identify (microchip usually) and register all their animals and 92% never allow them outside unsupervised. Registering pets is obligatory in Portugal. This indicates that dog owners are more compliant with the law than cat owners.
The majority of respondents owned only one (45.2%) or two (24.1%) dogs.
23.9% of dog owners bought their companion from a breeder (because there are far more purebred dogs than cats – my comment).
5.3% acquired their dog on the internet. Comment: there is an overlap here as some of these purchases would have been from breeders selling their services on the internet.
25% reported that they don’t sterilise their companion animal (presumed to mean cats and dogs which would explain the number of stray animals).

Comment: the stray cat problem is as usual down to irresponsible cat caregiving in failing to spay and neuter their animals. The solution as always is education. A lot of the problems concerning the human-to-cat relationship is down to a lack of education. It leads to animal cruelty. Not deliberately but as a consequence of a lack of understanding and necessity.

I have always espoused the need to include companion animal husbandry into the national school curriculums of all nations. 💕👍🤔 Why not? It is time. There is too much casual companion animal cruelty in the world. It is time for real change.