16/05/2026
𝙉𝙚𝙬 𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙘𝙝 𝙤𝙣 𝙈𝙚𝙭𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙞𝙩𝙪𝙙𝙚𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙮 𝙙𝙤𝙜𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙘𝙖𝙩𝙨
If you love animals and are worried about the single largest welfare issue facing dogs and cats globally, then this should be one of your favourite organisations. It is one of mine, for sure, ICAM - the International Companion Animal Management Coalition. These folks are combining research and working with hands on organisations to find real world solutions to these problems.
They recently did some research in countries affected by dog and cat overpopulation and, of course, Mexico was one of those. The findings may not be surprising but they are important.
The study surveyed 801 people living in Mexican cities and the results supported what we all experience. People are seeing free roaming dogs and cats constantly. 59% of respondents said they see free roaming dogs every single day. For cats, the figure was 42%. Most people also believe the numbers are either staying the same or increasing.
I often see people (especially foreigners) implying that the overpopulation problem is because people in Mexico don’t care, but anyone who lives here and sees the passionate and committed work of Mexicans working in animal welfare knows different.
90% of respondents said seeing hungry, sick or injured dogs makes them feel sad. 88% said the same for cats. An overwhelming majority agreed that free roaming animals should be treated with kindness.
That doesn’t mean they don’t have concerns and so they should. Communities are worried about public health, safety, road accidents, abandonment and suffering. People are living with the consequences of a system that is failing both animals and humans.
The research also shows clearly that any attempt to suggest that the public wants animals culled is simply not true. Most people do not think this is an acceptable way to control populations.
69% of people said their preferred solution is sterilise, vaccinate and return programmes. Just 2% supported capture and kill. Even more striking, 86% said culling dogs is unacceptable and 87% said the same for cats.
People are not asking for cruelty. They are asking for humane, practical solutions and they think the local authorities should be providing those services.
The public overwhelmingly supports using local taxes to fund:
• sterilisation and neutering
• vaccination
• responsible ownership education
• affordable veterinary access
Support for these measures was above 90%.
This matters because for years, grassroots organisations have been carrying this crisis on their backs with almost no support. The study found that more than half of respondents believe ordinary people in the community are currently the main carers for free roaming animals, while very few believe local government is taking responsibility.
That cannot continue.
Free roaming populations are not caused by the animals themselves. They are caused by abandonment, lack of access to veterinary care, failure to sterilise, irresponsible breeding, and a lack of education and infrastructure.
And the public absolutely understands that.
83% of respondents believed many street dogs had been abandoned by owners. 78% believed the same about cats.
This is why grassroots sterilisation campaigns, vaccination drives, education programmes and accessible veterinary services matter so much. They work. They reduce suffering. They improve public health. They improve community wellbeing. They are also what the public overwhelmingly wants.
If you want to help, support the organisations and volunteers doing this work on the ground. Support low cost spay and neuter programmes. Educate your community. Advocate for humane policies backed by science, not reactionary cruelty.
Mexico is a compassionate animal loving nation and the people want real solutions.
