Overview
- The Société protectrice des animaux (SPA) says its 64 refuges took in 9,508 animals between July and August, a 20.8% rise from 2025, with 6,572 cats, 2,220 dogs, 665 new pets and 51 equids.
- Requests for taking charge of suspected mistreatment jumped 57.9% compared with last summer, signaling growing welfare problems beyond simple abandonment.
- Heatwaves and wildfires reduced public visits to shelters and forced some evacuations, notably at the Perpignan refuge, which disrupted shelter operations and intake management.
- Despite 8,228 adoptions this summer (up 17.8% versus 2025), SPA refuges still house over 7,000 animals and report severe financial and staff strain that volunteers cannot sustain forever.
- The SPA is urging upstream measures such as wider sterilization campaigns and tighter regulation of animal sales, and Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu has asked the government to propose measures by October 1 to tackle mistreatment and abandonment.