2025 Shelter Data: Behavior Problems Remain the Leading Cause of Cat Surrenders

Newly compiled shelter statistics for 2025 show that behavior and general personality mismatches accounted for close to 28 percent of animal surrenders nationwide, according to the World Animal Foundation's annual pet adoption statistics report. Aggression, social conflict, and house soiling were the most commonly reported specific behavioral issues.

Overall, U.S. shelters and rescues took in roughly 3 million cats in 2025, a slight decrease from 2024. The cat adoption rate held at 63 percent, edging up from 62 percent the prior year, while roughly 597,000 animals across all species were euthanized, a modest decrease attributed largely to shelters operating over capacity rather than improved outcomes.

Separate, longer-running research from Cornell's veterinary college has found that among cats specifically surrendered for behavioral reasons, aggression accounts for about 27 percent of cases — underscoring how large a share of relinquishments trace back to a manageable behavior problem rather than an intractable one.

Animal welfare groups continue to argue that many of these surrenders are preventable. Groups like Alley Cat Rescue note that litter box issues, the most frequently cited behavioral surrender reason, are often resolvable through environmental changes once medical causes have been ruled out.

Sources

• World Animal Foundation — Pet Adoption Statistics In 2026
• Cornell Feline Health Center — Feline Behavior Problems: Aggression