ASPCA Research

The ASPCA Shelter Research and Development (R&D) department conducts research projects that are focused on improving animal welfare and increasing the live release rate for animals in shelters and communities. The articles below summarize some of our ongoing and completed research. We update these articles as new data becomes available.

Research on Increasing Adoptions

Fee-Waived Cat Adoptions
ASPCA research confirms that "free" shelter animals are valued just as much by their adopters as animals obtained for a fee.

Less Is More on the Adoption Floor
More cat adoptions, that is. Find out how you can configure your adoption floor so that potential adopters don't experience "option shock."

Do Cat Names Affect Adoptability?
Does it matter if the name on a kitty's cage card says "Fluffy" or "Farrah" or "93957?"

Foster Families as Adoption Agents: New Adopters, Low Returns
Our research into dog adoptions from the shelter and directly from foster homes finds even more ways that fostering is a life-saving tool for shelters.

Research on Animals at Risk

Mapping animals’ geographic locations
GIS mapping lets shelters find high-need, high-risk areas for animals in their communities, and use limited resources more efficiently and effectively.

Is This Cat Feral?
Is there a reliable and humane tool for identifying truly unsocialized cats shortly after they arrive at the shelter?

ID ME: ID Tags Save Lives
What's one simple step your shelter can take so that lost animals return home before supper time?