Stray Cat Returns to Owner Increasing According to October PetPoint Report

OAKVILLE, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - Nov. 21, 2011) - Pethealth Inc.(TSX:PTZ) - Stray cat returns to their rightful owner increased 19% year on year last month according to the October PetPoint Report, with similar percentage increases over the past six months resulting in an average 9% year on year increase during the period beginning May 1^st and ending October 31^st.

Based on statistics collected from November 1^st, 2010 to October 31^st, 2011 through PetPoint, stray cats account for a range of 39% to 50% of total feline intakes, peaking from spring through fall with the seasonal influx of kittens. On average, 5% of those stray cats are returned to their owners compared to an average 32% of stray dogs.

"The increasing return of stray cats to their owners is an encouraging statistic," says Brad Grucelski, Vice President, PetPoint Solutions at Pethealth Inc. "Animal welfare organizations have long worked toward improving return rates for lost cats through education about appropriate identification, including the combined use of a collar, external ID tags, and a registered microchip. The PetPoint data reported here suggest those efforts are making a difference."

As previously referenced, Dr. Michael Moyer, Rosenthal Director of Shelter Animal Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine and President-Elect of the American Animal Hospital Association at the time, stated:

Cats are profoundly underrepresented when it comes to identification. Overall, less than 2% of cats are returned to owners in North America; overwhelmingly, those not recovered by their families have no collars, no microchip. It is a common misconception that cats are less likely than dogs to be lost, particularly in the case of indoor only cats, but they, too, go missing. Every cat should be identified, regardless of its proposed lifestyle.

As part of the Company's initiative to reduce lost pets through the promotion and creation of a culture of comprehensive pet identification, Pethealth provides lost-cost microchips and free registration to animal welfare organizations licensing its PetPoint software.

The October report aggregated data from 937 animal welfare organizations using PetPoint. Findings were based on 145,011 intakes and 149,792 outcomes for dogs and cats that entered or left animal welfare organizations during the month. PetPoint is the most widely used animal management application in animal welfare.

For the October report, data was aggregated only from those organizations that were using PetPoint in October 2010 and October 2011. By comparing data from October 2011 to October 2010, the following can be summarized:

• Returns of cats to their owners increased 19% year on year.
• Intakes of stray cats and dogs declined 10% and 3% respectively year on year.
• Owner surrenders of cats and dogs declined 4% and 1% respectively.
• Adoptions of cats and dogs increased 3% and 2% respectively.
• Euthanasia of cats declined 6% year on year while euthanasia of dogs increased 4%.
• Seizures of cats and dogs by law enforcement increased 16% and 7% respectively.

Pethealth, the owner of the cloud-based PetPoint application, hosts the data for all its licensed users, allowing data to be aggregated in a seamless and timely fashion. Today, nearly 1,750 animal welfare organizations in the United States and Canada have licensed PetPoint to manage their day to day operations. Pethealth aggregates more data on dogs and cats in animal welfare organizations than any other company.

Interested organizations can subscribe to receive more detailed reports that include localized regional and state data for a monthly fee. The full report can be accessed by visiting http://www.petpoint.com/petpoint-report-11-21-2011.asp. PetPoint reports are issued on the third Monday of each month, excepting statutory holidays in which case they are issued the following business day.

About PetPoint

PetPoint, first introduced in 2005, is now licensed by nearly 1,750 animal welfare organizations in North America and has facilitated the adoption of over 3.2 million pets. As a hosted application, animal welfare organizations can not only better organize and care for their homeless and abandoned animals, but can also reduce significantly, if not eliminate, their IT-related infrastructure costs. PetPoint is provided free to animal welfare organizations on the basis that these same organizations use the Company's 24PetWatch microchip program for all companion animals adopted. The 24PetWatch microchip program is the most widely used microchip and lost pet recovery service operating in both Canada and the United States.

About Pethealth Inc.

Pethealth is a leading provider of companion animal services in North America. In addition, the Company is the leading provider of management software to North American animal welfare organizations through its cloud-based application and is the leading provider of pet related database management services to the North American companion animal industry. Pethealth offers a unique range of products and services for veterinarians, shelters and pet owners through a number of wholly owned subsidiaries using a range of brand names including PetCare, 24PetWatch, Pet Protect, Petpals Direct, ShelterCare, PetPoint, Petango.com and ThePetangoStore.com.

Pethealth is based in Oakville, Ontario. To find out more about Pethealth, visit the web site at www.pethealthinc.com.