2001年至2009年台灣家貓數調查

Abstract

本研究為調查台灣自2001年至2009年全國家貓數之相關研究。台灣家貓數的調查為每兩年一次，使用電話問卷訪談方式進行全國家貓數之調查，每一次調查之電話問卷數均超過9629份。研究結果顯示9年來台灣的家貓飼養數量呈現逐年增加的趨勢，從2001年的238727隻增加至2009年的346667隻；全國養貓家戶僅養一隻貓之飼養家戶數百分比由2001年的63.6%增加至2005年的70.5%並大致持平至2009年的68.2%；家貓來源主要是「街頭撿來的」（33.51%∼36.06%）及「別人給的」（32.16%∼33.09%）；家貓的平均年齡由2005年的3.26歲，逐年提升到2009年的4.57歲；家貓絕育率由2001年的31.05%逐年增加至2009年的61.72%；飼養方式以「從不帶出門」最多，比例在50%以上；家貓飼養的平均花費在888元到1037元之間。本研究根據台灣之高人口密度，每戶居住人口逐年下降，與近年來社會壓力逐年遞增等資料，推論台灣家貓數量逐年增加及每戶養貓家庭平均飼養家貓數逐年降低等之原因可能是：一、狗與貓都可以達到依附關係需求與自體客體功能，讓原本想養狗的人也可能選擇養貓來滿足心理需求。二、台灣每戶之人口數逐年降低，照顧貓所花的責任、空間及時間都比照顧狗較少，故台灣民眾在人力及時間的考量上開始傾向於選擇養貓取代養狗，造成家貓數逐年增加而家犬數逐漸降低。三、台灣平均每戶人口數逐年降低使每戶對同伴動物之需求與所能照顧的人力隨之降低，故養貓的家庭逐漸減少了飼養的數量，使每戶飼養貓數呈現逐年降低的情況。文中蒐集整理世界各國全國性或區域性的寵物數量調查研究，探討人與動物連結關係的機制及理論基礎，嘗試導入社會變遷的因素以瞭解寵物對社會中各族群所帶來的影響，並對國外對於寵物數量控制的觀點、策略與作法加以分析闡述並提出建議，可提供政府寵物管理法令訂定參考以及後續相關研究之使用。

This longitudinal study aims to investigate the demographic information of household cats in Taiwan and discuss its implications with social changes from 2001 to 2009 biennially. Household cats were surveyed biennially by randomly dialed telephone survey. A structured questionnaire was designed to obtain household demographics and population-associated data on pet ownership. Our biennial investigations of cat populations from 2001 to 2009 were 238,727 cats, 276,037 cats, 266,859 cats, 345,623 cats and 346,667 cats. The corresponding percentages of cat owning households in Taiwan were 2.06%, 2.31%, 2.20%, 2.76%, and 2.80%. For every one hundred people investigated, there were 1.07 cats, 1.22 cats, 1.17 cats, 1.51 cats, and 1.50 cats. Total cat population in Taiwan increased since 2007, but the average number of cats per household decrease from 1.71 cats per household in 2001 to 1.59 cats per household in 2009. The study concluded that the increase in cat ownership might be caused by the following reasons: (1) dramatic rise in life stress and social/environmental/economic pressures of owners who had strong needs of attachment/self-objective fulfillment and comfort, (2) less care and attention required for cats than dogs, and (3) the availability of care-giving for cat is decreasing with the declining of the number of people within a household in Taiwan. In this study we surveyed not only household cat ownership-associated data in Taiwan but also combined with factors associated with social change to analyze the trends in cat population in Taiwan. Finally we collected literature about worldwide pet population studies, historical and psychological perspectives on the human-animal bond and proposed strategies about pet population control.