Epsilon Archive for Student Projects

Abstract

The amount of homeless cats on this planet is a problem for many countries in the
world, including Sweden with an estimated 100 000 homeless cats. It is not
obliged to register cats in Sweden which makes it easy to buy, sell and own a cat.
That increases the risks for impulsive purchases and cats in need of rehoming and
the possibility of them ending up homeless. Common reasons for leaving cats to
shelters include allergies and homelessnes. This study aimed to find out what the
need for rehoming cats was in Sweden, what reasons there were behind it and if
advertisements for rehoming cats contain what is needed to contribute to the cat’s
future welfare. Online advertisements were gathered every day from a swedish
online marketplace called Blocket.se during a period of 10 weeks, between
February and April. Results showed that 1470 cats needed rehoming through 1221
advertisements and that the most common reasons put in them for rehoming were
allergies, that the cat needs another environment and that there are problems
between the cat and other animals in the household. A description of the cat’s
needs did not occur often and requirements for the new owner or household
occurred in a fourth of the online advertisements. A worrying result was that the
majority of cats from the advertisements were only 2 years old or less which
suggests that people have a lack of knowledge regarding cat’s behaviour and
needs. This study may contribute to raising awareness of the amount of cats in
Sweden that need to find a new home and encourage people to adopt instead of
shop.