Occasionally I hear from listeners who think I talk too much about dogs – those would be the cat people.I also hear from people who think I talk too much about cats – yes, those would be the dog people. As long as I’m hearing from both groups, I figure I have the balance just about right.
Whether you’re a dog person or a cat person, you’re in good company.According to the most recent statistics compiled for the 2025 National Pet Owners Survey conducted by the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association, approximately 94 million
American homes (71 percent) have at least one pet.Compare that to 1988 when only 56 percent had pets.A few other things have changed since then, but dogs still outnumber cats as housepets.According to the survey, we keep 68 million dogs as pets, and we count over 49 million cats as members of our households.There are theories about why we are keeping more pets than ever, but scientists can actually measure the health benefits of owning a dog or cat, including lower blood pressure, reduced stress, less depression and fewer feelings of loneliness.Whether you’re a dog or cat person, you already know that pets are good company.
So where are all these pets coming from? About one-fourth of pet owners say they got their furry friend from a friend or family member or neighbor. Another one-fourth of pets came from an animal shelter, and about a third came from breeders.
If you-re wondering, freshwater fish came in third at ten million households, and birds were fourth at six million households.
This survey is a strong indication of the continuing role companion animals play in our lives. If you’re not a member of one of the 94 million American households with a pet, you can change that with one visit to your local animal shelter when you’re speaking of pets.
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