Private Rehoming of Pets in Sweden : a Study on the Rehoming of Dogs and Cats on the Swedish Online Marketplace Blocket.se

Abstract: Thousands of dogs and cats end up in rehoming ads every year. In Sweden, little is known about these pets and why they end up in that situation. Studies made in Sweden have found that most pets rehomed on Blocket.se were under two years of age and that the most common reasons are “allergies”, “lack of time”, the pet needing a “new environment”, and “family issues”. This study examined the extent and reasons for rehoming cats and dogs through the online marketplace Blocket.se. Ads were collected from February to March 2022. The ads were concerning private rehoming of cats and dogs and did not include rehoming/sales done by breeders or puppies/kittens that had not left the bitch/queen. Information from these ads was collected to analyse their contents statistically and draw conclusions from the material. The data consists of 990 ads for 1046 dogs and 777 ads for 946 cats. The most common dog breeds were mixed breeds. Among the pure breeds, American Bully, French Bulldogs, and German Shepherds were the most common. Mixed-breed cats were the most common. Among the pure breeds, Ragdolls, Bengal, and Maine Coon were the most common. There were no big differences in gender for the pets, and for both groups, the mean age was around two years. For dogs, the most common reasons for rehoming were “family issues” and “lack of time”, and the most common demands on new owners were to have “knowledge of dogs” and “time” for the dog. The most common reason for rehoming cats was that the cat was “miserable in its current environment” and “allergies”. The most common demands were for the cat to “live with another cat” and to be able to be an “outdoor cat”. Further research needs to be done to find a way to prevent the rehoming of pets. People need to be educated about the normal behaviour of pets and what it requires to own a pet.