As an ongoing personal project, I have been analyzing the Woof Report data from the six Los Angeles City animal shelters. My goal here was to track how well the city has been meeting its goal of maintaining a “no-kill” shelter status, which means a save rate of at least 90%. The save rate is the number of live animals taken in within the month subtracted by the number of non-live animal outcomes (which can be through euthanasia, death under care, or missing, escaped, or stolen) divided by the number of live animals taken in.

Amidst kitten season, which in LA spans from March to November, shelters often get overrun with kittens and not only don’t have the space for them, but also don’t have enough volunteers on hand to socialize and take care of the less independent ones. As a result, cats and kittens alike suffer. To curb this issue, the city has partnered with local fosters rescues, but also encourages constituents to participate in its Citywide Cat Program. The program provides resources to help trap-neuter-release (TNR) feral and stray cats, which reduces negative territorial behavior, overbreeding, and most importantly disease as the cats receive several vaccines while getting spayed or neutered.

For pet dogs and cats, the city also provides low-cost spay and neuter services for certain LA residents. This is especially important as both the city and county shelters are overrun with dogs and do not have the space for them. Consider spreading awareness, participating in the programs, or better yet, adopting a shelter pet! In the meantime, feel free to play around with some of the statistics here - you can search by animal type, shelter, month and year.