Animal shelters across Montreal are reporting a sharp increase in abandoned pets linked to the city's annual moving season [1].
The spike in surrenders places immense pressure on local rescue infrastructure, forcing organizations to waive adoption fees to manage overcrowding and ensure animals find homes [2].
Shelters including SPCA Montreal and Refuge Animex have seen intake numbers climb as residents relocate around Quebec’s unofficial July 1 moving day [1]. While some reports indicate a traditional spike around the holiday, other data suggests shelters are seeing more surrenders this spring, occurring well ahead of the province's annual moving date [3, 5].
Beyond the logistics of moving, officials said a broader affordability crisis is a primary driver for pet abandonment [3]. Financial instability makes it difficult for owners to maintain pets during transitions, leading to an increase in animals being left behind or surrendered to shelters [3, 4].
Environmental and biological factors are also contributing to the crunch. Shelters are grappling with longer kitten seasons, which has resulted in a higher volume of young cats requiring care [3].
Data from the SPCA illustrates this upward trend in kitten intakes. The organization took in 499 unweaned kittens in 2023 [3]. That number rose to 585 unweaned kittens in 2024 [3].
To combat the overflow, some Montreal shelters are waiving adoption fees [2]. This measure aims to accelerate the adoption process, and clear space for the continued influx of abandoned animals during the summer months [2, 4].
“Animal shelters across Montreal are reporting a sharp increase in abandoned pets linked to the city's annual moving season”
The convergence of a regional cultural phenomenon—the July 1 moving day—with a systemic affordability crisis is creating a seasonal humanitarian and animal welfare emergency in Montreal. The increase in kitten surrenders suggests that environmental shifts are compounding the stress on shelters, indicating that the current surge is not merely a timing issue but a reflection of broader economic instability affecting pet ownership.
