Fifth consecutive year of rising pet abandonments in Montreal, SPCA reports

Animal surrenders in the city have reached unprecedented highs, with the Montreal SPCA reporting a 26 per cent increase in the first four months of 2025 compared to the same period last year.

“We tend to see that people don’t have money, time or energy to take care of their animal,” said Laurence Massé, executive director of the Montreal SPCA.

This marks the fifth consecutive year of rising abandonment rates, surpassing even the pre-pandemic numbers.

“During the pandemic, many families adopted an animal, and the spare time available at the time made it easier to commit,” explained Massé.

“The feared wave of surrenders did not happen immediately; the increase was gradual. What surprises us is how the curve continues to rise. We keep hoping it will level off, but no! We can now say that the end of the pandemic had an impact on animal surrenders, but it came much later and was much greater than we had anticipated.”

“The cost of living is forcing many families to make heartbreaking choices,” said Massé. “More than one family a day is forced to surrender their animal to us because of a move, while veterinary expenses are also becoming increasingly unaffordable.”

“The situation is worsened by a tight rental market and families affected by inflation,” she added. “Animals are going to need our support to get through the crisis.”

In the first four months of 2025, the shelter has already taken in 1,212 animals.

A call for help

As the moving season approaches, the Montreal SPCA is calling on the public for assistance.

“Seventy per cent of our revenue, the revenue that allows us to treat these animals to find them a new house comes from the public. So we’re asking today the public for donation, spca.com. There’s a big donate button. So we recommend the people and we ask the people to donate, every dollar counts and that’s going to make a huge difference in us, in our budget to provide care to the animal after that increase,” Massé said.

As a non-profit organization, they reply primarily on donations to meet the basic needs of its animals — including veterinary care, housing, food and rehabilitation.

The SPCA explained that it receives no government funding, although it does have some service contracts, but that covers “only a fraction of its expenses.”

“The care trajectory costs between $500 and $1,750 per animal on average,” they said in a press release on Tuesday. “Depending on the species.”

Help in avoiding critical overload

The Montreal SPCA is asking anyone forced to give up their animal to contact them immediately, rather than waiting until their move.

“It’s normal to want to keep your animal until the very last minute,” said Massé. “However, every year around July 1, the Montreal SPCA takes in hundreds of animals in a very short time.”

“With advance notice, we can better support your animal,” she added. “Sometimes even avoid having it spend any time at the shelter at all.”

Also, the SPCA said that their staff are trained to support people who are looking for new housing with their animal.

Reduced adoption fees to free up space and help even more animals

To free up space, the SPCA said that they will hold several reduced-fee events for certain species.

This week, from June 11 to 15, adoption fees for adult cats will be $50, and adoption fees for rabbits will be waived on certain conditions, they explained.

“By promoting shelter adoption and with people’s support,” they said. “The Montreal SPCA will be able to help more animals in need.”