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Animal Care Services June 2, 2026 Page 2 Public over-the All Other Dogs 180 3,900 $174,000 counter Public over-the All Other Cats 60 650 $29,000 counter Public over-the- All Other Animals 100 1,700 $76,000 counter City Officer Dogs 550 10,300 $459,000 City Officer Cats 280 1,800 $80,000 City Officer All Other Animals 75 260 $11,600 Subtotal Sheltering Cost $2,347,600 County Maintenance / Admin. $1,878,900 Total Expected Cost $4,226,500 The OC Animal Shelter follows policy set by the Board of Supervisors, including no limit on the number of days an animal can spend in the shelter. The statewide average is 20 days. On average, Santa Ana animals are spending 10-14 days in the shelter before being adopted; however, there are exceptions, such as a bird that has spent 138 days in the shelter as of March 31, costing the City's taxpayers more than $6,000. The OC Animal Shelter requires identification showing a Santa Ana address and information about the location where the animal was found. There are a number of reasons for the high intake volume and lengthy stays. The OC Animal Shelter is required by state law to take every underage (less than 8 weeks), aggressive, sick, or injured cat, and every dog, regardless of status. Often, the shelter intakes entire litters of underage kittens. State law also limits the euthanasia of adoptable pets. The OC Animal Shelter only euthanizes morbidly sick animals and those with well-documented behavioral issues. Although infrequent, the shelter must also hold animals as part of litigation or investigation cases. In addition to the shelter following county policy, state law, and court orders regarding intakes and shelter days, groups of cat advocates in Santa Ana are contributing to a high number of intakes. There are steps the City can take to reduce overall costs over time, but each comes with challenges and/or initial costs. • Consider licensing pet cats, with a no-cost first-year license for adoptions. Currently, the City only requires licenses for dogs. • Take proactive steps to acquire unlicensed pet information to increase licensing revenue.