TailBook Research The people who cannot look away
The survey was distributed in groups and communities related to animal topics, so the sample is dominated by members of those communities. At least 25% of respondents are active volunteers. Among them, 55% share their home with more than two animals - some mentioned eleven. The results reflect the perspectives of this audience and are not a demographic cross-section of the population as a whole. At the same time, the response dynamics and the way the sample formed are interesting in their own right: in our next publications, we will examine how the size of these thematic communities relates to their members’ actual willingness to take part in similar studies.
About half live in Montenegro; 19% are based in Cyprus. Both places are grappling with real stray animal challenges and, by all accounts, still searching for the right approach.
Volunteers and people who care seem to be driven by slightly different things. For volunteers (82%), social responsibility tends to come first. For everyone else - it's more personal: love of animals, a quiet sense of "I'll do what I can." Even so, 96% of non-volunteers had already helped in some way - money, food, a lift, their time.
"Too many homeless animals - it paralyses the will. Too much choice. I'm afraid to start and not be able to stop."
- survey respondentWhere stray animals come from - and who needs to fix it
Responses here were fairly consistent: most people point to human irresponsibility as the root of the problem. That view is shared by 98% of volunteers and 88% of the rest. Volunteers tend to go a step further, also flagging insufficient sterilisation programmes (82%) and uncontrolled breeding (82%). Around three quarters of both groups mention laws that are either absent or not properly enforced.
85% see sterilisation as the most important practical step. Among volunteers, 96% support it and 100% believe it's effective. There's a fairly clear expectation that the state would fund this - free procedures, widely available, at any vet clinic.
89% feel that building a culture of responsible pet ownership matters a great deal. And 85% sense that their country isn't quite there yet - a feeling that's particularly strong in Montenegro (98%) and Cyprus (87%).
"Only free sterilisation - funded by the state or sponsors - for any domestic or stray animal at any clinic in Cyprus can make any real difference."
"The absence of any state participation, state funding, or enforcement of existing animal protection laws."
I want to help, but I don't know how
The desire to help often runs up against a quiet, practical uncertainty. People worry about what it actually means to bring a street animal home: what if it's sick? What if it's been through a lot? There's a persistent idea that adult animals "can't change their ways" - something that, fairly or not, still holds some people back.
What people seem to want isn't more emotional content - it's step-by-step guidance. What do you actually do if you find a kitten on the street? How do you take in a foster animal safely? Who do you contact in an emergency? These are the kinds of questions that don't yet have easy, findable answers.
"If it's a puppy from the street, people often say - hard to know how it'll turn out. And if it's an adult dog, many fear a difficult temperament or behaviour problems."
"To adopt a stray animal, you need not just more time and space, but knowledge, experience and emotional readiness."
Trust: the currency in shortest supply
Trust came up again and again as something that shapes whether people donate and how. 52% of volunteers and 47% of people who care described it as a decisive factor. It takes time to build, and not much to lose.
Tracked donations. Verified volunteers. Reviews of shelters. Blacklists of irresponsible owners. People are willing to trust - if given the tools to do so. The ask isn't complicated - it's mostly just visibility.
"I want to donate not just somewhere to a shelter, but towards a specific activity with a stated goal - like crowdfunding. It's motivating when you can see your money isn't disappearing into a void."
"I never know if I'm helping a real volunteer or a scammer."
Make it easy - and people will show up
"Helping should be simple. Few people are willing to read long instructions."
- survey respondentWhen people who care say they don't donate, it's usually not about unwillingness. 66% mention limited finances. But process friction isn't far behind: 46% find the absence of one-time payment options off-putting, 25% mention forms that feel clunky, and 20% simply feel there are too many steps.
"Make sure the lightest ways to help are available too - very few will agree to fostering, but feeding strays or contributing to a collection - many will. It pays off in numbers."
"To castrate an animal for free or even for a donation, you currently have to go through so many hoops. It should be much simpler."
The coordination hub: everything in one place
It seems that the most effective way to make helping simpler is to rely on modern technology. Our survey results suggest not only a clear openness to such solutions, but also outline the key expectations and baseline requirements people have for them. Only 13% of respondents had ever used any app related to animals. Yet 83% across both groups said they'd welcome one - and not just something simple. What people described sounds more like a coordination layer: animal maps, tracked donations, shelter info, rescue guides, verified contacts, multilingual support.
The main concern isn't cost per se - it's whether the value would be there to justify it. A close second: privacy - "unjustified access to personal data, location and phone services."
Online consultations: high demand, high standards
Over 70% feel that vet services in their country leave something to be desired. At the same time, 87% said they'd be open to online consultations. What would make or break it, according to 79% of volunteers and 75% of the rest, is quality rather than price. 96% said they wouldn't want to pay more than €50. Most people see this kind of service as a complement - helpful for second opinions or urgent questions, rather than a replacement for in-person visits.
