Vet fees, no-pet clauses causing spike in abandonment as moving day looms

Vet technician Alexandra Yaksich explains why there has been a rise in vet fees and pet food in recent years.

With just over a month to go before Quebec’s annual moving day (July 1), shelters say they’re already seeing a rise in the number of cat and dog abandonments.

The SPCA says over 1,200 pets have been surrendered in the first four months of 2025, compared to around 975 last year.

Vet fees, no-pet clauses, and lack of knowledge have all contributed to a spike in people seeking a way out of ownership, says the Montreal SPCA.

Vet fees spiking

Brigitte Croteau, a volunteer at the Refuge Animex cat shelter, has fostered cats in the past, specializing in mother cats and kittens.

She said the staff and volunteers see an average of two to five emails per day asking for the shelter to take cats.

“What we see, that we didn’t see as much before the pandemic, is a lot of people who can’t keep their cats because of vet fees,” she said. “The cat is sick, they don’t have the money to take care of their cat [and] we sometimes have some clinics that contact us because they have a patient that the client cannot pay for their medical expenses.”

Vet technician Alexandra Yaksich said that the cost of pet food is becoming unsustainable for some owners.

“Vet diets are amazing and sometimes the only way to manage disease, but at $7 per can of dog food, many people are opting out. It’s incredibly unfortunate,” she said.

Private equity firms purchasing chains of vet clinics has also resulted in prices going up.

“That’s not to say that they don’t provide a good quality of service or good quality of care, but what we do see is that their prices tend to increase more than independent clinics,” said Yaksich.

She added that private equity firms with financial backing can pay more for clinics that are for sale, leaving independent owners out of the bidding process.

“Not only are we seeing a rise in private, corporately owned hospitals, we see less and less independent veterinarians able to purchase the premise themselves,” she said.

Stories of dog owners struggling to pay vet bills are not uncommon, but Croteau said that many cat owners seem blissfully unaware that they also come with responsibilities.

• READ MORE: Costly cuddles: French bulldogs among those being surrendered at concerning rate

“The hardest is not the people that are trying to find a solution, and they don’t want to get rid of their cat, but they don’t know what to do,” she said. “It’s really people that get a cat, not fully aware of making sure the cat will be good, healthy for the rest of their life, because a cat is not just an object that you get them; it’s cute, and that’s it.”

The Quebec Veterinary Association (AMVQ) has a maintenance cost assessment for various animals to help owners understand what costs will come with owning a pet.

The Quebec Order of Veterinarians (OMVQ) said labour shortages, advancements in veterinary medicine and the growing interest in specialized care for pets have also contributed to higher prices.

“Additionally, inflation, adjustments to working conditions for employees in veterinary establishments, and the entry of large corporations into the veterinary market have all played a role,” said spokesperson Patricia Noel. “We are deeply concerned about this trend, as it is becoming increasingly difficult for the public to afford care for their pets.”

Noel said the order is taking steps to improve access to vets with a focus on financial accessibility.

“These initiatives include authorizing veterinary practice within non-profit organizations, launching a guide to raise awareness among veterinarians about the importance of offering a range of care, introducing a telemedicine guide, creating a special permit for internationally trained veterinarians to practice in Quebec, and streamlining the process for issuing temporary restrictive licenses to facilitate the integration of foreign-trained veterinarians while they work toward obtaining a regular license,” she said.

Croteau said that though owners don’t need to take their cats out or walk them like they do dogs, cats still require attention, care and interaction, and she is concerned about owners who are ignorant of the responsibilities of pet ownership.

“A lot of people don’t care about their cat that much,” said Croteau. “They’re like, ‘Oh, well, I give them a place to live. I give them food.’ No, you have to play with your cat. You have to take care of them. We have to interact with our cat. So, yes, it’s less work, but still, you need to be there for your cat.”

Croteau, like the SPCA and other shelters, recommends pet insurance for any animal because vet fees have increased by around 50 per cent since the pandemic.

“If you don’t have $2,000, $3,000, even $5,000 on the side in case of emergency, take some insurance because we still see a lot of cats being put down because the owner doesn’t have the money to take care of them, and we shouldn’t have to do that,” she said.

No-pet clauses

The Montreal SPCA is slated to host the “Great March of United Families” on Sunday to highlight the issues that no-pet clauses in leases can lead to.

It’s an issue the SPCA and opposition party Québec Solidaire have regularly highlighted in recent years.

• READ MORE: Quebec Solidaire wants to ban no-pet clauses in rental leases

“We see the growing problems caused by these extremely restrictive and arbitrary clauses on a daily basis,” said Montreal SPCA director of animal protection Sophie Gaillard.

“The impact is major, not only for the animals and the shelters, which are overflowing because of forced abandonments, but also for the families shattered by these abusive clauses, who contact us in distress when faced with heartbreaking choices.”

The march is set to take place at 1 p.m. at Saint-Louis Square in Montreal.

Vulnerable people hurt most

The SPCA said single people, children and the elderly are among those being forced to abandon their animals.

The non-profit says that victims of domestic abuse, as well as people suffering from loneliness, who see their pet as daily support, are among those for whom the idea of leaving a pet behind is unthinkable.

The AMVQ said that around 33 per cent of households in the province have at least one cat, while the number reporting two or more has dropped to a four-year low of 11 per cent.

The association said that the drop could be due to the significant rise in the cost of living, in addition to high vet fees, no-pet clauses and other issues.

The SPCA says that losing either their home or animal companion is not a choice a vulnerable person should have to make.

“Our team is so frequently called on to deal with these issues by citizens in distress, and the impact on shelters is so significant that the SPCA considers this to be a priority issue at the provincial level,” said Gaillard.

“Some citizens are even telling us that a party’s commitment to ban anti-animal clauses could influence their vote in the next provincial election.”