The Pet stray Pop report that you download has all the statistics presented by county population. If you wish to calculate a certain city or area, go to the bottom of the chart and use our handy calculator for specific statistics. How to use the data to calculate how many dogs and cats in your area need altered? Once you have the totals from the excel sheet for your area, see below for the dogs, cats and community cats or strays not altered and you have your number. It may not be perfect science but it is as close as we can get.
We found it interesting that US Households having pets has gone down a few percentages from 2020 yet WV has always been in the top 1/4 for pet ownership. Sourced from AVMA 2022 ;and APPA 2023-24
2024 West Virginia Pet Statistics
66% WV Households have pets (Percentage in WV has been estimated to be higher)
482,464 WV Household have pets
615,800 dogs in WV Households with 22% not altered
445,183 cats in WV Households with 15% not altered
175,442 total number of community cats with 98% not altered
13% of total animals in WV Shelters are euthanized (24 counties Reporting)*
$218 is average per animal sheltering cost in WV shelters (FOHO 2017 research – likely increased)
2024 National Pet Statistics.
66% U.S. Households have pets.
86.9 million U.S. Households have pets
108 million dogs with 22% not altered
79 million cats with 15% not altered
65.1 million households own a dog
46.5 million households own a cat
30-40 million estimated community cats with 98% not altered
15% of total animals in shelters nationwide are euthanize
Sources Consulted:
https://www.americanpetproducts.org/press_industrytrends.asp
https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/wv
https://worldpopulationreview.com/states/west-virginia/counties
https://bestfriends.org/no-kill-2025/animal-welfare-statistics
https://www.iii.org/fact-statistic/facts-statistics-pet-statistics
https://www.avma.org/KB/Resources/Statistics/Pages/US-pet-ownership-calculator.aspx
https://petkeen.com/pet-ownership-statistics/#Who_Owns_Pets_In_The_US
https://humanepro.org/page/pets-by-the-numbers
https://humanepro.org/sites/default/files/documents/managing-community-cats.pdf
https://agriculture.wv.gov/divisions/animal-health/west-virginia-spay-and-neuter-assistance-program/
https://www.hillcountrycats.org/wp-content/uploads/CommunityTNR.pdf
(page 23)
Peter Marsh ‘Getting to Zero’
Note on Sources of WV Euthanasia Data:
* In 2022, 13% of animals admitted into West Virginia Shelters were euthanized according to the West Virginia Board of Veterinary Medicine (only 27 counties reported). Total euthanized = 13% Cats euthanized = 18%. Dogs euthanized = 6%. The number is going down due to more spay neuter services but also due to the high number of fosters and rescues that transport shelter animals out of our state. Please note that all public shelters do not accept cats. West Virginia Animal Euthanasia and Control Statistics are difficult to pinpoint since no state reporting structure exists for compiling these statistics. In 2013, the WV Veterinary Board began collecting intake data at the request of FOHO WV along with their yearly Euthanasia data for their certified euthanasia technicians. While this has helped, less than half our counties report. This report is required to WV Vet Board by January 15 for the previous year if there is a certified euthanasia technician in that county. They also may be using a veterinarian service for euthanasia and that data is not collected.
