Ocean County Shelters Euthanized 4th Most Cats In N.J. In 2015: State Data

TOMS RIVER, NJ — Nearly 40 percent of the cats taken in by shelters in Ocean County in 2015 were killed, but that percentage continues to show a steady decline, according to a report released by the state Department of Health.

Earlier this month, officials released statewide data from the 2015 Animal Intake and Disposition Survey, a voluntary survey of the state’s licensed animal shelters. Not every shelter in the state participates, the department said. The report does not list reporting by each individual shelter.

In 2015, Ocean County shelters took in 1,933 dogs and 3,335 cats, according to the report. Of those, 144 dogs and 1,328 cats were euthanized, according to the report.

It is the fourth-highest total of cat euthanizations in the state, behind Gloucester (1,784 of 2,834), Essex (1,524 of 4,250) and Cumberland (1,451 of 3,471), according to the data.

See the county-by-county totals for New Jersey here.

But the number and percentage of cats euthanized in Ocean County shelters has shown a steady decline over the last 10 years. In 2006, 3,602 of the 6,571 cats — 54.8 percent — taken in by Ocean County shelters were killed. In 2015, that percentage was 39.8 percent, according to the data.

The number of animals taken in by shelters in Ocean County has fallen as well, by nearly half, while the number of cats adopted from the reporting shelters has remained fairly steady: 1,837 cats were adopted from shelters in 2006, while 1,730 were adopted in 2015, according to state data.

Of the 1,933 dogs taken in by the reporting shelters in 2015, 822 were claimed by their owners and 974 were adopted, according to the data.

In total, New Jersey’s 2015 intake and disposition stats included:

• 80,922 impounded animals
• 10,914 redeemed animals
• 38,948 adopted animals
• 17,157 euthanized animals

The author's cat, who was adopted from a rescue. Karen Wall photo