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Pet Facts

Dog and Cat Ownership in the United States

The following statistics were compiled from the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association (APPMA) 2005-2006 National Pet Owners Survey. Some of these numbers have increased since the survey.

Dogs

• There are approximately 73 million owned dogs in the United States
• Thirty-nine percent of U.S. households own at least one dog
• Most owners (60 percent) own one dog
• Twenty-five percent of owners own two dogs
• Fourteen percent of owners own three or more dogs
• On average, owners have almost two dogs (1.7)
• The proportion of male to female dogs is about even
• Sixteen percent of owned dogs were adopted from an animal shelter
• On average, dog owners spent $211 on veterinary visits (vaccine, well visits) annually
• More than seventy percent of owned dogs are spayed or neutered

Cats

• There are approximately 90 million owned cats in the United States
• Thirty-four percent of U.S. households (or 37.7 million) own at least one cat
• Fifty percent of owners own more than one cat
• On average, owners have two cats (2.4)
• Slightly more female cats are owned than male cats (66 percent vs. 64 percent respectively)
• Fifteen percent of owned cats were adopted from an animal shelter
• Cat owners spent an average of $179 on routine veterinary visits
• Eighty-four percent of owned cats are spayed or neutered

Annual Expenses for Owning a Cat or Dog

According to the 2007-2008 APPMA National Pet Owners Survey, basic annual expenses for dog and cat owners in dollars include:

**Note: APPMA does not ask Survey Participants how much in total they spend on their dog or cats annually. The expenses listed above are not all inclusive and each category was asked separately of the survey participant