Cat Ownership Facts







 The current domestic cat population in the U.S. was 81.7 million at the end of 2006, almost 10 million more than dogs

The number of owned cats has increased 38% since 1996.

Cat-owning households represent 32.4% of all U.S. households.

Cat-owning households had an average number of 2.2 cats in 2006, compared to 1.7 dogs per dog-owning households.

Nearly half (49.2%) of all cat owners consider their cat to be a family member; 49.4% consider cats as pets or companions.

In 2006, 36% of cats did not visit the veterinarian, compared to 17% of dogs.

Overall veterinary visits for cats have decreased almost 11% since 2001. (Cats visited the veterinarian 63.3 million times in 2006).

From The American Veterinary Medical Association’s 2007 U.S. Pet Ownership & Demographics Sourcebook