The latest Population and Housing Census conducted by the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (Inegi) indicates that in Mexico there are 35 million 219 thousand 141 households, 70.98% of which have at least one pet.
Although there is currently no measurement that says exactly how many pets exist in the country, the National Survey of Self-Reported Welfare (Enbiare) -also conducted by Inegi in 2021-, has given a general overview of the population situation of dogs and cats.
According to the Enbiare, which measures a person’s view of well-being in different dimensions of their social life, around 25 million Mexican households are home to an estimated 80 million pets.
Of these 80 million pets, 43.8 million are dogs, or 54.75%; while 16.2 million are cats (20.25%); and 20 million (25%) are fish and birds.
The survey “Pet ownership” elaborated by the firm Gfk pointed out that in 2016, 64% of Mexicans had a dog as a pet, 24% had cats, 10% had fish and birds, respectively, and 7% had other types of pets. In this case, the option was given to name more than one type of pet, so the total sum is not 100 percent.
When contrasting the measurement made by Gfk and Enbiare, it can be seen that the preference for dogs has decreased in the last years, as well as for cats. Likewise, the inclination for fish and birds was on the rise.
Although Enbiare does not provide more details on the pet population, the studies conducted by Gfk showed that, by gender, 65% of men had a dog, 22% owned a cat, 10% had fish, 10% had birds, and 6% had other types of pets. In this case, multiple choice was also applied, so the total sum is not 100 percent.
On the women’s side, 62% of Mexican women lived with a dog, 26% had a cat, 10% had fish, 10% had birds, and 8% had another type of pet. In this case, a multiple response was also applied, so it was considered whether they had more than one type of pet.
Responsible owners
The measurement “Mexico, a petfriendly country” carried out by the pollster Mitofsky in 2019 also let see the characteristics of pet owners such as the type of food they buy or if they go to veterinary services on a constant basis.
When questioning pet owners if they buy special food for their pets, 57.7% answered that they buy special food; 8.9% said they eat from the same food that is at home, 32.4% indicated that from both and 1.4% did not answer.
Regarding the number of times they take their pet to the veterinarian, 28.2% said twice a year; 21.2% said once a year; 16.3% said three times; and 11.6% said not once.
Of the owners, 7.6% said they take their pet to the veterinarian up to four times a year; 7.1% said five times a year; 5.5% said seven times a year; and 2.5% said six times a year.
A discouraging outlook
Although there is no exact figure on how many dogs and cats live in conditions of abandonment, the Mexican organization Defensoría Animal estimates that seven out of every 10 dogs and cats live on the street.
This situation of abandonment worsens between the months of March and July, after people receive animals as gifts for Christmas, Epiphany or Valentine’s Day.
The citizen organization Mundo Patitas, based on the exchange of reports with other associations about animals in street situations, pointed out that in 2021 the abandonment of pets grew 30 percent.
The figure, it is believed, was higher during that year due to the coronavirus pandemic and various beliefs or rumors that dogs and cats were capable of transmitting Covid-19.
Fear of contagion added to other known causes such as lack of money, commitment and insensitivity.
According to Defensoría Animal, it is estimated that almost half a million companion animals are abandoned each year, a figure resulting from the calculation of reports of mistreatment on public roads or the analysis of people’s economic situation, in addition to the fact that isolation due to the pandemic also aggravated violence against animals within homes.
TYT Newsroom
