Nearly 10,000 animals collected by the SPA this summer: a record for the season

A record for the summer season. Nearly 10,000 animals, mainly cats and dogs, were taken into the 64 shelters of the Society for the Protection of Animals (SPA) this summer, the organization announced Thursday, September 10.

This figure is increasing “by 20.8% compared to 2025”, the SPA said in a press release. In detail, 6,572 cats, 2,220 dogs, 665 new pets and 51 equines were collected.

“One year after a summer already described as exceptional, the situation is deteriorating even further on all fronts: care, mistreatment, saturation of structures,” denounces the association, which recorded “a surge of 57.9% in requests for care for mistreatment between the summer of 2025 and the summer of 2026.”

A peak in summer abandonments

In 2025, more than 300,000 dogs and cats were taken care of by associations, shelters and pounds, according to Animal Solidarity, which helps some 750 animal protection associations. Associations and shelters which are saturated and very often in financial difficulty, without support from public authorities. The situation is particularly critical in summer with a peak in abandonments due mainly to vacations and the explosion in the number of kitten births during this period.

“Without concrete measures to stop abandonment at the source, the exceptional mobilization of its employees and volunteers will not be able indefinitely to compensate for the continued increase in the number of animals to be taken care of,” warns the SPA, which advocates in particular sterilization and the supervision of animal sales. On this last point in particular, the Prime Minister, Sébastien Lecornu, asked the government at the end of July to carry out a series of actions by October 1 to fight against animal abuse.