Fun Facts from the American Pet Association about Dogs and Cats

 

There are 44,892,454 dog owners in the United States, who own a total of 62,995,801 million dogs, and there are 76,954,111 million cats for a total of 139,949,912 pets.  Of the 106.4 million households in the U.S., 33.6 million have at least one cat as a pet.  The following statistics exemplify pet owners' feelings towards their pets.

• 31,507,457 dog owners purchase Christmas gifts for their dogs.
• 39,754,847 cats receive Christmas gifts from their owners.
• 13,498,254 cats have their birthdays celebrated.
• 9,849,021 dog owners celebrate their dogs' birthdays in the following ways:

Give dog a special treat	4,567,598
Make dog a special meal	1,978,636
Give dog a cake	1,850,665
Give dog a new toy	1,801,445
Give dog ice cream	1,102,524
Give dog a new bone	964,708
Sing or wish dog happy birthday	698,921
Give dog a party with other dogs or pets	659,545
Take dog to favorite place	393,758
Take photographs	216,567

 

More than half of American dog owners are more attached to their pets than to at least one other human being.  The following numbers represent those who say they are as attached to their dogs as to the following persons:

A) Best Friend: 16,213,555

B) Children:  8,321,566

C) Spouse:  5,421,959

39% of America's pet owners display their pet's picture in their home.

 

16% of America's pet owners keep a picture of their pet in their wallet or purse.

 

More than half of America's dogs can perform at least one trick (25,300,500).

 

American dogs sleep in the following places:

 

On Top Of The Bed	10,110,000
In a Dog House	8,635,500
On The Floor	7,524,500
In a Dog Bed	7,322,500
Outside In The Garage :(	6,413,500
In Their Owner's Bed	1,262,500

 67% of America's cats are allowed to sleep in their owner's bed or anywhere they want.

America's dog and cat owners say they acquired their pets for the following reasons:

Reason for Ownership	Dogs	Cats
Someone To Play With	90%	93%
Companionship	83%	84%
Help Children Learn	82%	78%
Someone To Communicate With	57%	62%
Security	79%	51%

Note: These numbers add up to more than 100% showing that people must have a pet for more than one reason.

Pet Safety

Cause of Death	Lifetime Odds of Dying*
Car Crash	1 in 242
Drowning	1 in 1,028
Plane Crash	1 in 4,608
Lightning Strike	1 in 71,501
Bitten by dog	1 in 137,694
Venomous spider bite	1 in 716,010
	*for someone born in 2000. Source: National Safety Council

Source: 1998-2006 American Pet Association Polls

Poll taken of 19,211 pet owners in February 2005 Error margin +-3%.

All statistics are as of March 2006, unless noted.