Dogs win pet popularity contest
Dogs are still the most popular pet in America with 36.5 percent of all households in the United States owning a dog, compared to 30.4 percent owning cats, according to a survey of more than 50,000 households by the American Veterinary Medical Association (AMVA).
A representative sample of about 222,000 U.S. households received an online questionnaire in February 2012, and a little more than 50,000 responded. Expected to be released in early December, the AMVA report is not an actual pet census, however pet population estimates were projected based on the sample group.
“Our U.S. Pet Ownership and Demographics Sourcebook is one of the most anticipated sources of information about trends in pet ownership and veterinary care,” said AVMA Chief Executive Officer Dr. Ron DeHaven. “There is really no other source of information in the industry that is as respected and complete. In fact, the U.S. Census Bureau cites the U.S. Pet Ownership and Demographics Sourcebook in their publications.”
74 million cats vs. 70 million dogs
Even though dogs are the most popular choice for a household pet, cats are still the most common pet in the U.S., with the total population hovering right around 74.1 million, compared to 70 million dogs. So while more households own a dog, cat owners are more likely to own multiple cats – 2.1 per household – compared to dog owners, who average 1.6 dogs per household.
Pet ownership on the decline
There are fewer pet cats and dogs in the U.S. Recession, allergies, or changing times – the pet population is decreasing. In the past five years, pet ownership has taken a slight dip of 2.4 percent according to the latest AVMA survey. Dog ownership is down about 2 percent and cat ownership 6 percent.
The dogtor will see you now
The study also revealed dogs visit the vet more often than cats. Dog owners were more dedicated to providing veterinary care, with 130.4 million veterinary visits for dogs, a 9.2 percent increase from 2006 while veterinary visits for cats dropped 4.4 percent to about 60.5 million visits.
Dog owners spent a whopping $19.1 billion in 2011 on veterinary care for their pets, up 18.6 percent from 2006. In the meantime, veterinary expenditures for cats remained comparatively flat, rising only 4.2 percent to $7.4 billion.
The overall picture presents cats as the independent creatures that they are – rarely showing any signs of illness. If your cat is a healthy indoor cat, there’s not a lot of incentive to bring it to the vet. For many pet owners on a budget, it’s a common sense policy: if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. However, if your cat is an outdoor cat, an annual visit to the vet for vaccinations and flea medication is definitely in order.
Dogs, on the other hand, are not shy about their aches and pains – whether it’s a limp, a nose full of porcupine quills, or a hot spot they keep worrying at – all are cause for a visit to a vet.
The surprising fact of this survey is that so few households have pets. Based on the wonderful rewards of having a pet, we pet owners like to think that most people love pets, but in reality only about 4 out of 10 households have a pet dog, and only 3 out of 10 households have a cat – or two. And there you have it: cat people rule by the numbers, while top dogs win the popularity contest.
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