What is the population of stray dogs and cats in India?

New Delhi, Nov 26: India has around 6.2 crore stray dogs and 91 lakh street cats, as per a new report, which claims 77 per cent of the country's population said that they see a stray dog at least once a week.

Stray Animals in India Statistics
According to the State of Pet Homelessness Index data, India has a high prevalence of stray populations which is bringing the country's 'All Pets Wanted' score down. Overall, the country scored 2.4 on a 10-point scale.

"Nearly 68 per cent (almost 7 in 10) of the population say they see a stray cat at least once a week while nearly 77 per cent (8 in 10) say they see a stray dog as frequently," the report said. It claims that nearly eight crore homeless cats and dogs are there in the country, including 6.2 street dogs and 91 street cats. Whereas there are 88 lakh street dogs and cats in shelter homes.

Also, 85 per cent of companion animals in India are homeless, the index said.

Despite such a big dog population, 61 per cent of the general population in the country said they do not visit the vet. It is because of distance, reputation or facilities which is significantly higher than the global average of 31 per cent and drives the 'All pets Cared For' score down.

3 Street Dogs for Every 100 People
At least three street dogs can be found for every 100 people in India, said Gauri Mulekhi from People For Animals (PFA), a non-government organisation advocating animal rights in India. "...in the last 6-7 years the number (of street cats) has gone up because now breeding of cats is happening and every time animals are bred the number of homeless animals rise. Though India has dog breeding rules, it came 20 years late. If enforced earlier, we would have had much less street dogs," she told PTI.

The report further claims that there are 7.5 crore estimated homeless cats and dogs in China, 4.8 crore in the US, 20.6 lakh in Germany, 20 lakh in Greece, 74 lakh in Mexico, 41 lakh each in Russia and South Africa, and 11 lakh in the UK. PTI