Estimate of the canine and feline population in a municipality of thenortheastsemi-arid: a view on responsible owner ship

ABSTRACT The quality of life of animals can have a direct impact on the health of the community where they live, therefore, knowledge of the number of animals and the conditions in which they are found is fundamental to the development of actions focused on Unique Health. Aiming to carry out a population estimate of dogs and cats, domiciled and semi-domiciled, in the urban area of Barra-BA and to analyze the population's knowledge about the themes "responsible guarding" and "animal welfare", it was carried out, in the period of August to November 2019, the application of a questionnaire in 365 residences. The results showed that for each inhabitant there were about 0.152 dogs and 0.108 cats, thus, it is estimated about 6,341 domesticated and semi-domesticated animals, being 3,707 dogs and 2,634 cats. The analysis of notions of animal welfare and responsible guarding showed that most tutors do not satisfactorily practice responsible guarding, especially for cats that, when compared to dogs, had lower rates of deworming and vaccination, as well as average age below that of the canine population. The number of animals with free access to the street was higher for felines. In terms of reproductive control, between the two species, only 3.6% were spayed. At the end of the work, it can be concluded that the cat: inhabitant proportion in the studied region is consistent with the national proportion. In contrast, the dog: inhabitant relationship was shown to be inferior when compared to national values. Furthermore, there was a need for educational actions within the scope of responsible custody.