Sourcebook Vets Pets 2006

20 07 EDITION
U.S. Pet Ownership & Demographics Sourcebook
American Veterinary Medical Association
U.S. Pet Ownership & Demographics Sourcebook

Reproduction or transmission in any form, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, microfilming, and recording, or by any informational storage or retrieval system, in whole or in part, is prohibited without written permission by the American Veterinary Medical Association.
Copyright 2007 by the American Veterinary Medical Association All rights reserved. ISBN-10: 1882691172; ISBN-13: 978-1882691173
Additional copies of this report may be purchased from:
American Veterinary Medical Association 1931 N. Meacham Road, Suite 100 Schaumburg, Illinois 60173-4360 Phone: 1-847-925-8070 Fax: 1-847-925-1329 AVMA website: http://www.avma.org
PREFACE
For more than 25 years, the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) has produced the U.S. Pet Ownership and Demographics Sourcebook, documenting the cultural and social evolution of our changing relationship with companion animals. While the uses of this information may be limitless, we see a dual primary focus of this initiative. With an ever-increasing bond between pets and their owners, most Americans view their pets as part of the family. Pets provide not only companionship, joy, unconditional love, and, perhaps, a sense of safety, but also service. Many studies have documented the health and life-extending benefits of pet ownership. As our society now sees enormous value in their pets, there has been a substantial increase in the demand by pet owners for advanced veterinary care. Today, using all the advantages of modern medicine, veterinarians provide the highest possible standard of care to their patients. Because the majority of new diseases emerging or re-emerging in the United States are zoonotic (meaning they can be transmitted between human beings and animals) the distribution of companion animals and their owners utilization of veterinary care can have an impact on decisions made in human health. The statistical work here is designed to help policy-makers and other interested parties calculate and benchmark pet populations in their own areas. And, because the United States has become more diverse and multicultural, this edition of the U.S. Pet Ownership and Demographics Sourcebook has been expanded to take a closer look at attitudes and behaviors of pet owners according to their race or ethnicity. We thank the veterinarians and other members of the veterinary healthcare team who provide care to the tens of thousands of pet owners and enthusiasts who participated in this study. In addition, we thank the American Kennel Club for providing the dog breed registration information provided in Appendix B. Ongoing, quality research that produces meaningful data and real insight requires a long-term commitment, which has included our leaderships willingness to make the necessary investment of resources. The U.S. Pet Ownership and Demographics Sourcebook is simply the latest in a long string of integrated research conducted by the AVMA to explore all the dimensions of animal health and welfare, and its impact on human health. A very special thanks goes to Allison Shepherd, MBA, senior manager of market research, and Susan Majchrzak, marketing coordinator, who lent their considerable talents to development of this research initiative, data gathering and publication. Additionally, we would like to thank David Kirkpatrick and Michael San Filippo of the Communications Division for editing the publication. Their effort has been extraordinary. Jim Flanigan Director of Marketing American Veterinary Medical Association
TABLE OF CONTENTS
PREFACE........................................................................................................................... i TABLE OF CONTENTS .................................................................................................ii LIST OF TABLES ........................................................................................................... iv LIST OF FIGURES ....................................................................................................... xiv KEY FINDINGS ............................................................................................................... 1 Section 1: Total Pet Ownership and Pet Population ................................................... 1 Section 2: Veterinary Medical Use and Expenditures ................................................ 3 Section 3: Pet Owner Demographics .......................................................................... 5 Section 4: Pet Owner Profiles ..................................................................................... 6 SECTION 1 Total Pet Ownership and Pet Population ................................................. 7 Chapter 1: All Pets ...................................................................................................... 7 Chapter 2: Multiple-Pet Ownership .......................................................................... 13 Chapter 3: Dog Ownership ....................................................................................... 15 Chapter 4: Cat Ownership......................................................................................... 24 Chapter 5: Bird Ownership ....................................................................................... 33 Chapter 6: Horse Ownership..................................................................................... 39 Chapter 7: Specialty and Exotic Pet Ownership ....................................................... 45 Total Pet Ownership and Pet Population Summary Tables ...................................... 47 SECTION 2 Veterinary Medical Use and Expenditures ............................................ 48 Chapter 1: All Pet-owning Households .................................................................... 48 Chapter 2: Multiple-Pet Households......................................................................... 51 Chapter 3: Dog-owning Households ......................................................................... 55 Chapter 4: Cat-owning Households .......................................................................... 65 Chapter 5: Bird-owning Households ........................................................................ 75 Chapter 6: Horse-owning Households ...................................................................... 85 Chapter 7: Specialty and Exotic Pet-owning Households ........................................ 93 Veterinary Medical Use and Expenditures Summary Tables ................................... 95 SECTION 3 Pet Owner Demographics......................................................................... 97 Chapter 1: All Pet-owning Households .................................................................... 98 Chapter 2: Multiple-Pet Households....................................................................... 102 ii
Chapter 3: Dog-owning Households ....................................................................... 103 Chapter 4: Cat-owning Households ........................................................................ 109 Chapter 5: Bird-owning Households ...................................................................... 115 Chapter 6: Horse-owning Households .................................................................... 120 Pet Owner Demographics Summary Tables ........................................................... 125 SECTION 4 Pet Owner Profiles .................................................................................. 129 Life Stage ................................................................................................................ 130 Marital Status .......................................................................................................... 132 Household Size ....................................................................................................... 133 Household Income .................................................................................................. 134 Education Level of the Head of Household............................................................ 135 Employment Status of the Head of Household....................................................... 137 Home-ownership Status .......................................................................................... 139 Type of Residence................................................................................................... 140 Community Size...................................................................................................... 141 Race and Ethnicity .................................................................................................. 142 Pet Owner Profiles Summary Tables ...................................................................... 143 APPENDIX A Study Method....................................................................................... 147 Methodology........................................................................................................... 147 Questionnaire .......................................................................................................... 147 Calculations............................................................................................................. 148 Statistical Inference................................................................................................. 148 Sample Representativeness..................................................................................... 149 Weighting of Data................................................................................................... 153 APPENDIX B Dog Breeds............................................................................................ 154 APPENDIX C Formulas............................................................................................... 158
iii
LIST OF TABLES
Pet Ownership and Pet Population: All Pets
Table 1-1. How pet owners viewed their pets, 2006 ....................................................................... 7 Table 1-2. Percentage of households that owned pets and number of pet-owning households by region and state, Dec. 31, 2006.................................................................................. 11
Pet Ownership and Pet Population: Dog Ownership

Table 1-3. How dog-only owners, cat-only owners, and dog- and cat-only owners viewed their pets, 2006................................................................................................................... 13 Table 1-4. Pet ownership rates, at least one type of pet, Dec. 31, 2006 ........................................ 14 Table 1-5. How dog owners viewed their dogs by age of dog owner, 2006 ................................. 16 Table 1-6. Percentage of households that owned dogs by number owned and mean number of dogs, Dec. 31, 1987-2006 .......................................................................................... 17 Table 1-7. Percentage of households that owned dogs by age of dog, Dec. 31, 1987-2006 ......... 18 Table 1-8. Percentage of households that owned dogs, number of dog-owning households, mean number of dogs per household and total dog population by region and state, Dec. 31, 2006 ............................................................................................................. 20 Table 1-9. Trends in dog ownership by region and state, Dec. 31, 1996-2006............................. 22
Pet Ownership and Pet Population: Cat Ownership

Table 1-10. How cat owners viewed their cats by age of cat owner, 2006 ................................... 25 Table 1-11. Percentage of households that owned cats by number owned and mean number of cats, Dec. 31, 1987-2006 ........................................................................................... 26 Table 1-12. Percentage of households that owned cats by age of cat, Dec. 31, 1987-2006.......... 27 Table 1-13. Percentage of households that owned cats, number of cat-owning households, mean number of cats per household and total cat population by region and state, Dec. 31, 2006 ............................................................................................................. 29 Table 1-14. Trends in cat ownership by region and state, Dec. 31, 1996-2006 ............................ 31
Pet Ownership and Pet Population: Bird Ownership

Table 1-15. How bird owners viewed their birds by age of bird owner, 2006 .............................. 34 Table 1-16. Percentage of households that owned birds by number owned and mean number of birds, Dec. 31, 1987-2006.......................................................................................... 35 Table 1-17. Percentage of households that owned birds by age of bird, Dec. 31, 1987-2006 ..... 36
iv
Table 1-18. Percentage of households that owned birds, number of bird-owning households, mean number of birds per household and total bird population by region, Dec. 31, 2006.. 38 Table 1-19. Trends in bird ownership by region, Dec. 31, 1996-2006.......................................... 38
Pet Ownership and Pet Population: Horse Ownership

Table 1-20. How horse owners viewed their horses by age of horse owner, 2006 ....................... 40 Table 1-21. Percentage of households that owned horses by number owned, and mean number of horses, Dec. 31, 1987-2006........................................................................................ 41 Table 1-22. Percentage of households that owned horses by age of horse, Dec. 31, 1987-2006.. 42 Table 1-23. Percentage of households that owned horses, number of horse-owning households, mean number of horses per household and total horse population by region, Dec. 31, 2006 ............................................................................................................. 44 Table 1-24. Trends in horse ownership by region, Dec. 31, 1996-2006 ....................................... 44
Pet Ownership and Pet Population: Specialty and Exotic Pet Ownership
Table 1-25. Percentage of households that owned the 2006 top five specialty and exotic pets by type of pet, and mean number of specialty and exotic pets, Dec. 31, 1987-2006...... 45 Table 1-26. Percentage of households, number of households, mean number per household and total population by type of specialty and exotic pet, Dec. 31, 2006 .......................... 46 Table 1-27. Trends in specialty and exotic pet ownership, Dec. 31, 1996-2006........................... 46
Pet Ownership and Pet Population: Summary Tables

Table 1-28. Percentage of pet-owning households in the U.S., Dec. 31. 1987-2006.................... 47
Veterinary Medical Use and Expenditures: All Pet-owning Households

Table 2-1. Mean veterinary visits and distribution of households by number of visits for all pets, dogs, cats, birds, horses and specialty and exotic pets, 2006..................................... 49 Table 2-2. Mean veterinary expenditures and distribution of households by expenditures for all pets, dogs, cats, birds, horses and specialty and exotic pets, 2006 ............................ 50
Veterinary Medical Use and Expenditures: Multiple-Pet Households

Table 2-3. Distribution of households by number of veterinary visits and human-animal bond and mean number of veterinary visits for dog-only, cat-only, and dog- and cat-only households, 2006 ....................................................................................................... 52 Table 2-4. Distribution of households by veterinary expenditures and human-animal bond and mean veterinary expenditures for dog-only, cat-only, and dog- and cat-only households, 2006 ....................................................................................................... 54
Veterinary Medical Use and Expenditures: Dog-owning Households

Table 2-5. Distribution of dog-owning households by number of visits to the veterinarian and mean number of visits per household and per dog, 1987-2006 ................................. 55 Table 2-6. Percentage of dog-owning households by number of veterinary visits and race/ethnicity, 2006.................................................................................................... 56 Table 2-7. Mean number of veterinary visits by human-animal bond for single and multiple dogowning households per dog, 2006 ............................................................................. 57 Table 2-8. Distribution of dog-owning households by veterinary expenditures and mean expenditure per household, per visit and per dog, 1987-2006 ................................... 57 Table 2-9. Distribution of dog-owning households and mean veterinary expenditure per household by veterinary expenditures and human-animal bond, 2006...................... 58 Table 2-10. Mean veterinary expenditure per dog-owning household by household income and human-animal bond, 2006 ......................................................................................... 59 Table 2-11. Percentage of dog-owning households by veterinary expenditures and race/ethnicity, 2006 ........................................................................................................................... 59 Table 2-12. Mean veterinary expenditures by human-animal bond for single and multiple dogowning households per dog, 2006 ............................................................................. 60 Table 2-13. Percentage of dog-owning households that chose the veterinarian they used for the most recent visit by reason for selecting the veterinarian, 2006................................ 61 Table 2-14. Veterinary visits and expenditures by dog-owning households, 1996-2006.............. 62 Table 2-15. Distribution of services and products purchased during the most recent veterinary visit by dog-owning households, 1996-2006 ............................................................. 63 Table 2-16. Reason for choosing the veterinarian seen at the most recent veterinary visit by dogowning households, 1996-2006 ................................................................................. 64
vi
Veterinary Medical Use and Expenditures: Cat-owning Households

Table 2-17. Distribution of cat-owning households by number of visits to the veterinarian and mean number of visits per household and per cat, 1987-2006................................... 65 Table 2-18. Percentage of cat-owning households by number of veterinary visits and race/ethnicity, 2006.................................................................................................... 66 Table 2-19. Mean number of veterinary visits by human-animal bond for single and multiple catowning households per cat, 2006............................................................................... 67 Table 2-20. Distribution of cat-owning households by veterinary expenditures and mean expenditure per household, per visit and per cat, 1987-2006 .................................... 67 Table 2-21. Distribution of cat-owning households and mean veterinary expenditure per household by veterinary expenditures and human-animal bond, 2006...................... 68 Table 2-22. Mean veterinary expenditure per cat-owning household by household income and human-animal bond, 2006 ......................................................................................... 69 Table 2-23. Percentage of cat-owning households by veterinary expenditures and race/ethnicity, 2006 ........................................................................................................................... 69 Table 2-24. Mean veterinary expenditure by human-animal bond for single and multiple catowning households per cat, 2006............................................................................... 70 Table 2-25. Percentage of cat-owning households that chose the veterinarian they used for the most recent visit by reason for selecting the veterinarian, 2006................................ 71 Table 2-26. Veterinary visits and expenditures by cat-owning households, 1996-2006............... 72 Table 2-27. Distribution of services and products purchased during the most recent veterinary visit by cat-owning households, 1996-2006 .............................................................. 73 Table 2-28. Reason for choosing the veterinarian seen at the most recent veterinary visit by catowning households, 1996-2006 ................................................................................. 74
Veterinary Medical Use and Expenditures: Bird-owning Households

Table 2-29. Distribution of bird-owning households by number of visits to the veterinarian and mean number of visits per household and per bird, 1991-2006................................. 75 Table 2-30. Percentage of bird-owning households by number of veterinary visits and race/ethnicity, 2006.................................................................................................... 76 Table 2-31. Distribution of bird-owning households by veterinary expenditures, mean expenditures per household, per visit and per bird, 1987-2006................................. 77 Table 2-32. Distribution of bird-owning households and mean veterinary expenditures per household by veterinary expenditures and human animal bond, 2006 ...................... 78
vii
Table 2-33. Mean veterinary expenditure per bird-owning household by household income and human-animal bond, 2006 ......................................................................................... 79 Table 2-34. Percentage of bird-owning households by veterinary expenditures and race/ethnicity, 2006 ........................................................................................................................... 79 Table 2-35. Percentage of bird-owning households that chose the veterinarian they used for the most recent visit by reason for selecting the veterinarian, 2006................................ 81 Table 2-36. Veterinary visits and expenditures by bird-owning households, 1996-2006............. 82 Table 2-37. Distribution of services and products purchased during the most recent veterinary visit by bird-owning households, 1996-2006............................................................. 83 Table 2-38. Reason for choosing the veterinarian seen at the most recent veterinary visit by birdowning households, 1996-2006 ................................................................................. 84
Veterinary Medical Use and Expenditures: Horse-owning Households

Table 2-39. Distribution of horse-owning households by number of visits to the veterinarian and mean number of visits per household and per horse, 1991-2006............................... 85 Table 2-40. Distribution of horse-owning households by veterinary expenditures and mean expenditure per household, per visit and per horse, 1987-2006 ................................ 86 Table 2-41. Distribution of horse-owning households and mean veterinary expenditure per household by veterinary expenditures and human-animal bond, 2006...................... 87 Table 2-42. Mean veterinary expenditure per horse-owning household by household income and human-animal bond, 2006 ......................................................................................... 88 Table 2-43. Percentage of horse-owning households that chose the veterinarian they used for the most recent visit by reason for selecting the veterinarian, 2006 ................................ 89 Table 2-44. Veterinary visits and expenditures by horse-owning households, 1996-2006........... 90 Table 2-45. Distribution of services and products purchased during the most recent veterinary visit by horse-owning households, 1996-2006 .......................................................... 91 Table 2-46. Reason for choosing the veterinarian seen at the most recent veterinary visit by horseowning households, 1996-2006 ................................................................................. 92
Veterinary Medical Use and Expenditures: Specialty and Exotic Pet Owning Households
Table 2-47. Percentage of households with veterinary expenditures by type of specialty and exotic pet, 1996-2006 ........................................................................................................... 93 Table 2-48. For all households that own specialty and exotic pets, mean visits per pet, mean visits per household and total veterinary visits, 1996-2006 ................................................ 93
viii
Table 2-49. For all households that owned specialty and exotic pets, mean vet expenditure per visit, mean total veterinary expenditures per household and total veterinary expenditures, 1996-2006............................................................................................ 94
Veterinary Medical Use and Expenditures: Summary Tables

Table 2-50. Veterinary visits and expenditures for all species, 2006 ............................................ 95 Table 2-51. Reasons for choosing the veterinarian used on the most recent veterinary visits for all species, 2006.............................................................................................................. 96
Pet Owner Demographics: All Pet-owning Households

Table 3-1. Percentage of households that owned pets by life stage, 1991-2006 ........................... 98 Table 3-2. Percentage of households that owned pets by size of household, 1991-2006.............. 99 Table 3-3. Percentage of households that own pets by household income, 2001-2006 ................ 99 Table 3-4. Percentage of households that owned pets by education level of the head of household, 2006 ......................................................................................................................... 100 Table 3-5. Percentage of households that owned pets by employment status of the head of household, 2006 ....................................................................................................... 100 Table 3-6. Percentage of households that own pets by home-ownership status, 1991-2006 ..... 100 Table 3-7. Percentage of households that owned pets by type of residence, 2001-2006 ............ 101 Table 3-8. Percentage of households that owned pets by community size, 2001-2006 .............. 101 Table 3-9. Percentage of households owning all pets, dogs, cats, birds, horses, and specialty and exotic pets by race/ethnicity, 2006........................................................................... 101
Pet Owner Demographics: Multiple-Pet Households

Table 3-10. Percentage of households that owned dogs only, cats only, and dogs and cats only by life stage, 2006......................................................................................................... 102 Table 3-11. Percentage of households that owned dogs only, cats only, and dogs and cats only by household size, 2006................................................................................................ 102 Table 3-12. Percentage of households that owned dogs only, cats only, and dogs and cats only by household income, 2006.......................................................................................... 102
Pet Owner Demographics: Dog-owning Households

Table 3-13. Percentage of households that owned dogs by life stage, 1991-2006...................... 103 Table 3-14. Percentage of households that owned dogs by size of household, 1991-2006......... 104 Table 3-15. Percentage of households that owned dogs by household size and human-animal bond, 2006 ............................................................................................................... 105
ix
Table 3-16. Percentage of households that owned dogs by household income and human-animal bond, 2006 ............................................................................................................... 106 Table 3-17. Percentage of households that owned dogs by education level of the head of household, 2006 ....................................................................................................... 106 Table 3-18. Percentage of households that owned dogs by employment status of the head of household, 2006 ....................................................................................................... 106 Table 3-19. Percentage of households that owned dogs by home-ownership status, 1991-2006 ................................................................................................................ 107 Table 3-20. Percentage of households that owned dogs by type of residence, 2001-2006 ......... 107 Table 3-21. Percentage of households that owned dogs by race/ethnicity and human-animal bond: 2006 ......................................................................................................................... 108
Pet Owner Demographics: Cat-owning Households

Table 3-22. Percentage of households that owned cats by life stage, 1991-2006 ....................... 109 Table 3-23. Percentage of households that owned cats by size of household, 1991-2006.......... 110 Table 3-24. Percentage of households that owned cats by household size and human-animal bond, 2006 ......................................................................................................................... 111 Table 3-25. Percentage of households that owned cats by household income and human-animal bond, 2006 ............................................................................................................... 112 Table 3-26. Percentage of households that own cats by education level of the head of household, 2006 ......................................................................................................................... 112 Table 3-27. Percentage of households that own cats by employment status of the head of household, 2006 ....................................................................................................... 112 Table 3-28. Percentage of households that owned cats by home-ownership status, 1991-2006 ................................................................................................................ 113 Table 3-29. Percentage of households that owned cats by type of residence, 2001-2006........... 113 Table 3-30. Percentage of households that owned cats by race/ethnicity and human-animal bond: 2006 ......................................................................................................................... 114
Pet Owner Demographics: Bird-owning Households

Table 3-31. Percentage of households that owned birds by life stage, 1991-2006 ..................... 115 Table 3-32. Percentage of households that owned birds by life stage, 1991-2006 ..................... 115 Table 3-34. Percentage of households that owned birds by household size and human-animal bond, 2006 ............................................................................................................... 116 Table 3-33. Percentage of households that owned birds by size of household, 1991-2006 ........ 116
Table 3-35. Percentage of households that owned birds by household income and human-animal bond, 2006 ............................................................................................................... 117 Table 3-36. Percentage of households that owned birds by education level of the head of household, 2006 ....................................................................................................... 118 Table 3-37. Percentage of households that owned birds by employment status of the head of household, 2006 ....................................................................................................... 118 Table 3-38. Percentage of households that owned birds by home-ownership status, 1991-2006 ................................................................................................................ 118 Table 3-39. Percentage of households that owned birds by type of residence, 2001-2006......... 119 Table 3-40. Percentage of households that owned birds by race/ethnicity and human-animal bond: 2006 ......................................................................................................................... 119
Pet Owner Demographics: Horse-owning Households

Table 3-41. Percentage of households that owned horses by life stage, 1991-2006 ................... 120 Table 3-42. Percentage of households that owned horses by life stage, 1991-2006 ................... 120 Table 3-43. Percentage of households that owned horses by size of household, 1991-2006...... 121 Table 3-44. Percentage of households that owned horses by household size and human -animal bond, 2006 ............................................................................................................... 122 Table 3-45. Percentage of households that owned horses by household income and human-animal bond, 2006 ............................................................................................................... 123 Table 3-46. Percentage of households that owned horses by education level of the head of household, 2006 ....................................................................................................... 123 Table 3-47. Percentage of households that owned horses by employment status of the head of household, 2006 ....................................................................................................... 123 Table 3-48. Percentage of households that owned horses by home-ownership status, 1991-2006 ................................................................................................................ 124 Table 3-49. Percentage of households that owned horses by type of residence, 2001-2006...... 124
Pet Owner Demographics: Summary Tables

Table 3-50. Percentage of households that owned pets by life stage, 2006 ................................ 125 Table 3-51. Percentage of households that owned pets by size of household, household income, ownership status, type of residence and community size, 2006 .............................. 126 Table 3-52. Percentage of households that owned pets by education level of the head of household, 2006 ....................................................................................................... 127
xi
Table 3-53. Percentage of households that owned pets by marital status, employment status of head of household and race and ethnicity, 2006 ...................................................... 128
Pet Owner Profiles:

Table 4-1. Distribution of households that owned pets versus all households, both pet-owning and nonpet-owning, by life stage, 2006 .......................................................................... 131 Table 4-2. Distribution of households that owned pets versus all households, both pet-owning and nonpet-owning, by marital status, 2006 ................................................................... 132 Table 4-3. Distribution of households that owned pets versus all households, both pet-owning and nonpet-owning, by household size, 2006................................................................. 133 Table 4-4. Distribution of households that owned pets versus all households, both pet-owning and nonpet-owning, by household income, 2006 ........................................................... 134 Table 4-5. Distribution of households that owned pets versus all households, both pet-owning and nonpet-owning, by education level of the head of household, 2006........................ 136 Table 4-6. Distribution of households that owned pets versus all households, both pet-owning and nonpet-owning, by employment status of the head of household, 2006 .................. 138 Table 4-7. Distribution of households that owned pets versus all households, both pet-owning and nonpet-owning, by ownership status, 2006.............................................................. 139 Table 4-8. Distribution of households that owned pets versus all households, both pet-owning and nonpet-owning, by type of residence, 2006............................................................. 140 Table 4-9. Distribution of households that owned pets versus all households, both pet-owning and nonpet-owning, by community size, 2006 ............................................................... 141 Table 4-10. Distribution of households that owned all pets, dogs, cats, birds and horses pets by race and ethnicity, 2006 ........................................................................................... 142
Pet Owner Profiles: Summary Tables

Table 4-11. Distribution of households that owned pets versus all pet-owning and nonpet-owning households by life stage, 2006................................................................................. 143 Table 4-12. Distribution of households that owned pets versus all pet-owning and nonpet-owning households by size of household, household income, ownership status, type of residence and community size, 2006 ....................................................................... 144 Table 4-13. Distribution of households that owned pets versus all pet-owning and nonpet-owning households by education level of the head of household, 2006............................... 145
xii
Table 4-14. Distribution of households that owned pets versus all pet-owning and nonpet-owning households by marital status, employment status of head of household and race and ethnicity, 2006 ......................................................................................................... 146
Appendix A:
Table A-1. Sample representativeness: Family household designation ...................................... 149 Table A-2. Sample representativeness: Life stage....................................................................... 149 Table A-3. Sample representativeness: Non-family designation ................................................ 150 Table A-4. Sample representativeness: Household size .............................................................. 150 Table A-5. Sample representativeness: Age of head of household, all households .................... 150 Table A-6. Sample representativeness: Household income ........................................................ 150 Table A-7. Sample representativeness: Type of residence.......................................................... 151 Table A-8. Sample representativeness: Home ownership ........................................................... 151 Table A-9. Sample representativeness: Community/Market size ............................................... 151 Table A-10. Sample representativeness: Geographic region....................................................... 151 Table A-11. Sample representativeness: States........................................................................... 152 Table A-12. Weighted data.......................................................................................................... 153
Appendix B:
Table B-1. Dogs registered by the American Kennel Club (AKC), 1996-2006.......................... 154
xiii
LIST OF FIGURES
Pet Ownership and Pet Population: All Pets
Figure 1-1. Percentage and number of households that owned at least one pet at any time during the year, 1991-2006 ..................................................................................................... 7 Figure 1-2. Percentage of households that owned pets: Top and bottom 10 states, Dec. 31, 2006 ............................................................................................................... 8 Figure 1-3. Age and gender of person with primary responsibility for pet care, 2006.................... 9 Figure 1-4. Percentage of households that owned pets by number owned, Dec. 31, 2001 & 2006.................................................................................................. 9
Pet Ownership and Pet Population: Multiple Pets

Figure 1-5. Multiple pet ownership rates, Dec. 31, 2006 .............................................................. 13
Pet Ownership and Pet Population: Dog Ownership

Figure 1-6. Percentage and number of households that owned a dog, Dec. 31, 1991-2006.......... 15 Figure 1-7. Percentage of households that owned dogs: Top and bottom 10 states, Dec. 31, 2006 ............................................................................................................. 16 Figure 1-8. Age and gender of person with primary responsibility for dog care, 2006 ................ 17 Figure 1-9. Percentage of households that owned dogs by age of dog, Dec. 31, 1987 & 2006 .... 18
Pet Ownership and Pet Population: Cat Ownership

Figure 1-10. Percentage and number of households that owned a cat, Dec. 31, 1991-2006 ......... 24 Figure 1-11. Percentage of households that owned cats: Top and bottom 10 states, Dec. 31, 2006 ............................................................................................................. 25 Figure 1-12. Age and gender of person with primary responsibility for cat care, 2006................ 26 Figure 1-13. Percentage of households that owned cats by age of cat, Dec. 31, 1987 & 2006 ..... 27
Pet Ownership and Pet Population: Bird Ownership

Figure 1-14. Percentage and number of households that owned a bird, Dec. 31, 1991-2006 ....... 33 Figure 1-15. Percentage of households that owned birds by region, Dec. 31, 2006 ..................... 34 Figure 1-16. Age and gender of person with primary responsibility for bird care, 2006 .............. 35 Figure 1-17. Percentage of households that owned birds by age of bird, Dec. 31, 1987 & 2006................................................................................................ 36
xiv
Pet Ownership and Pet Population: Horse Ownership

Figure 1-18. Percentage and number of households that owned a horse, Dec. 31, 1991-2006.... 39 Figure 1-19. Percentage of households that owned horses by region, Dec. 31, 2006 ................... 40 Figure 1-20. Age and gender of person with primary responsibility for horse care, 2006............ 41 Figure 1-21. Percentage of households that owned horses by age of horse, Dec. 31, 1987 & 2006................................................................................................ 42
Pet Ownership and Pet Population: Summary Tables

Figure 1-22. Percentage of pet-owning households in the U.S., Dec. 31. 1987-2006................... 47
Veterinary Medical Use and Expenditures: All Pet-owning Households

Figure 2-1. Distribution of pet-owning households by number of veterinary visits, 2006............ 48 Figure 2-2. Distribution of pet-owning households by veterinary expenditures, 2006 ................. 49
Veterinary Medical Use and Expenditures: Multiple-Pet Households

Figure 2-3. Mean number of veterinary visits by human-animal bond for dog-only, cat-only, and dog- and cat-only households, 2006 .......................................................................... 51 Figure 2-4. Mean veterinary expenditures by human-animal bond for dog-only, cat-only, and dogand cat-only households, 2006................................................................................... 53
Veterinary Medical Use and Expenditures: Dog-owning Households

Figure 2-5. Total number of veterinary visits in millions for dog-owning households, 1987-2006 .................................................................................................................. 55 Figure 2-6. Mean number of veterinary visits for dog-owning households by human-animal bond, 2006 ........................................................................................................................... 56 Figure 2-7. Total veterinary expenditures in billions for dog-owning households, 1991-2006 .... 58 Figure 2-8. Top three services and products of 2006 purchased at the most recent veterinary visit by dog-owning households, 1987-2006..................................................................... 60 Figure 2-9. Percentage of dog-owning households with a regular veterinarian, 1996-2006......... 61
Veterinary Medical Use and Expenditures: Cat-owning Households

Figure 2-10. Total number of veterinary visits in millions for cat-owning households, 1987-2006 .................................................................................................................. 65 Figure 2-11. Mean number of veterinary visits for cat-owning households by human-animal bond, 2006 ........................................................................................................................... 66 Figure 2-12. Total veterinary expenditures in billions for cat-owning households, 1991-2006 .. 68
xv
Figure 2-13. Top three services and products of 2006 purchased at the most recent veterinary visit by cat-owning households, 1987-2006 ...................................................................... 70 Figure 2-14. Percentage of cat-owning households with a regular veterinarian, 1996-2006 ........ 71
Veterinary Medical Use and Expenditures: Bird-owning Households

Figure 2-15. Total number of veterinary visits in millions for bird-owning households, 1991-2006 .................................................................................................................. 75 Figure 2-16. Mean number of veterinary visits for bird-owning households by human- animal bond, 2006 ................................................................................................................. 76 Figure 2-17. Total veterinary expenditures in millions for bird-owning households, 1991-2006 .................................................................................................................. 78 Figure 2-18. Top three services and products of 2006 purchased at the most recent veterinary visit by bird-owning households, 1987-2006 .................................................................... 80 Figure 2-19. Percentage of bird-owning households with a regular veterinarian, 1996-2006 ...... 81
Veterinary Medical Use and Expenditures: Horse-owning Households

Figure 2-20. Total number of veterinary visits in millions for horse-owning households, 1991-2006 .................................................................................................................. 85 Figure 2-21. Mean number of veterinary visits for horse-owning households by human-animal bond, 2006 ................................................................................................................. 86 Figure 2-22. Total veterinary expenditures in millions for horse-owning households, 1991-2006 .................................................................................................................. 87 Figure 2-23. Top three services and products of 2006 purchased at the most recent veterinary visit by horse-owning households, 1987-2006 .................................................................. 88 Figure 2-24. Percentage of horse-owning households with a regular veterinarian, 1996-2006 ... 89
Pet Owner Demographics: All Pet-owning Households

Figure 3-1. Percentage of households that owned pets by life stage, 1991-2006.......................... 98 Figure 3-2. Percentage of households that owned pets by marital status, 2006 ............................ 99
Pet Owner Demographics: Dog-owning Households

Figure 3-3. Percentage of households that owned dogs by life stage, 1991-2006....................... 103 Figure 3-4. Percentage of households that own dogs by marital status, 2006 ............................. 104 Figure 3-5. Percentage of households that owned dogs by household income, 2001-2006 ........ 105 Figure 3-6. Percentage of households that owned dogs by community size, 2001-2006 .......... 108
xvi
Pet Owner Demographics: Cat-owning Households

Figure 3-7. Percentage of households that owned cats by life stage, 1991-2006 ........................ 109 Figure 3-8. Percentage of households that owned cats by marital status, 2006 .......................... 110 Figure 3-9. Percentage of households that owned cats by household income, 2001-2006 ......... 111 Figure 3-10. Percentage of households that owned cats by community size, 2001-2006........... 113
Pet Owner Demographics: Bird-owning Households

Figure 3-11. Percentage of households that owned birds by marital status, 2006....................... 116 Figure 3-12. Percentage of households that owned birds by household income, 2001-2006...... 117 Figure 3-13. Percentage of households that owned birds by community size, 2001-2006 ......... 119
Pet Owner Demographics: Horse-owning Households

Figure 3-14. Percentage of households that own horses by marital status, 2006 ........................ 121 Figure 3-15. Percentage of households that owned horses by household income, 2001-2006 .. 122 Figure 3-16. Percentage of households that owned horses by community size, 2001-2006 ....... 124
Pet Owner Profiles:

Figure 4-1. Distribution of households that owned pets by life stage, 2006 ............................... 130 Figure 4-2. Distribution of households that owned pets by marital status, 2006 ........................ 132 Figure 4-3. Distribution of households that owned pets by size of household, 2006.................. 133 Figure 4-4. Distribution of households that owned pets by household income, 2006................. 134 Figure 4-5. Distribution of households that owned pets by education level of the head of household, 2006 ....................................................................................................... 135 Figure 4-6. Distribution of households that owned pets by employment status of the head of household, 2006 ....................................................................................................... 137 Figure 4-7. Distribution of households that owned pets by home-ownership status, 2006......... 139 Figure 4-8. Distribution of households that owned pets by type of residence, 2006 .................. 140 Figure 4-9. Distribution of households that owned pets by community size, 2006 .................... 141 Figure 4-10. Distribution of households that owned pets by race and ethnicity, 2006 ............... 142
xvii
Key Findings
KEY FINDINGS
Section 1: Total Pet Ownership and Pet Population
General Pet Ownership
Of all U.S. households, 59.5% owned pets in 2006. The number of U.S. households owning pets grew to 68.7 million in 2006 from 61.1 million in 2001, an increase of 12.4%. About two-thirds of pet-owning households, or 64.0%, owned more than one pet in 2006, with 21.2% of households owning at least 5 pets. In 2006, nearly half of pet owners, or 49.7%, considered their pets to be family members and nearly half, or 48.2%, considered their pets to be pets/companions. Overwhelmingly, women across the age spectrum typically were the primary caregivers of pets. The study found that 74.5% of pet owners with primary responsibility for their pets were female in 2006. Five of the top 10 pet-owning states in terms of pet-owning households can be found in the Northwest Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana and Wyoming.
Dog Ownership
Of all U.S. households, 37.2% owned a dog in 2006. The number of U.S. households that owned dogs increased to 43 million in 2006 from 37.8 million in 2001, an increase of 13.8%. Dog-owning households had an average number of 1.7 dogs in 2006. More than half of the dog population, or 56.0%, was under the age of 6 in 2006 At the end of 2006, the pet dog population in the U.S. was approximately 72 million. More than half, or 53.5% of dog owners, considered their dogs to be a member of the family in 2006. The person with primary responsibility for the care of their dog was female in 74.2% of dogowning households. The top five states that had the highest percentage of dog-owning households in 2006 were Wyoming, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Montana and West Virginia.
Cat Ownership
Of all U.S. households, 32.4% owned a cat in 2006. The number of U.S. households that owned cats was 37.5 million in 2006, compared to 33.2 million in 2001. Cat-owning households had an average number of 2.2 cats in 2006. The total U.S. pet cat population at the end of 2006 was 81.7 million. Overall, 55.9% of the cat population was under the age of 6 in 2006. Cat owners were fairly evenly split on how they viewed their cats 49.2% viewed them as family members and about 49.4% viewed them as pets or companions in 2006. Nearly eight-out-of-10 (78.1%) owners responsible for the care of their cat were female in 2006. The top five states that had the highest percentage of cat-owning households were Maine, Vermont, Oregon, Idaho and Washington.
Key Findings
Bird Ownership
Of all U.S. households, 3.9% owned a bird in 2006. Bird ownership has dropped since 2001, with about 4.5 million households owning a bird in 2006, compared to 4.8 million in 2001. Bird-owning households had an average of 2.5 birds in 2006. The pet bird population at the end of 2006 was approximately 11.2 million. Over two-thirds (68.1%) of pet birds were under 6 years old in 2006. More than half, or 51.3%, of bird owners considered their birds to be family members in 2006. The Pacific region had the highest population of birds (2.7 million) in 2006.
Horse Ownership
Of all U.S. households, 1.8% owned horses as pets in 2006, up 5.9% in the past five years. The average number of horses per horse-owning household was 3.5 in 2006, the highest it has been in the past decade. There were an estimated 2.1 million horse-owning households in the U.S. in 2006, representing a total pet horse population of about 7.3 million. More than one-third, or 33.9%, of all pet horses were 11 years old or older. Slightly more than one-third (38.4%) of horse owners considered their horses to be family members, the lowest of all pet categories surveyed. In 2006, The Pacific region had the highest population of horses (1.4 million) in 2006.
Specialty and Exotic Pet Ownership
Specialty and exotic pets include a variety of species fish, rabbits, ferrets, hamsters, guinea pigs, gerbils, other rodents, turtles, snakes, lizards, other reptiles, pigeons and poultry, livestock, and all other types of specialty and exotic animals that are kept as pets. Pet fish made up the largest category of exotic pets, with 7.8% of U.S. households owning them in 2006. The pet fish population was 75.9 million in 2006. The average number of fish per fish-owning household was 8.4 in 2006. Turtles kept as pets jumped by more than 900,000 from 2001 to 2006, representing an 86% increase in the number owned. In 2006, the pet turtle population was approximately 2 million.
Key Findings
Section 2: Veterinary Medical Use and Expenditures

All Pet-Owning Households
In 2006, 77.7% of pet-owning households made at least one visit to the veterinarian, with 27.0% having made four or more visits to the veterinarian. However, 22.3% of pets did not go to the veterinarian. Households that owned pets in 2006 visited the veterinarian 193 million times, an average of 2.8 times a year per household. Dogs represented 61.9% of total veterinary visits in 2006; cats, 32.8%; specialty and exotic pets, 2.4%; horses, 2.2%; and birds, 0.7%. Total veterinary expenditures for all household pets were estimated to be $24.5 billion in 2006. The average veterinary expenditure per household for all pets was $366 in 2006. The average expenditure per visit was $104 and $130 per pet. Dogs represented 65.9% of veterinary expenditures; cats, 29.0%; specialty and exotic pets, 1.8%; and birds, 0.4%.
Dog-owning households
Among dog-owning households, 82.7% had at least one visit to the veterinarian in 2006, down by 1.1% from 2001. Households that owned dogs saw the veterinarian an average of 2.6 times in 2006, a 3.7% decrease since 2001. Each dog saw the veterinarian an average of 1.5 times, down 21.1% from 2001. In 2006, dogs made an estimated 119.4 million visits to the veterinarian, a 2.1% increase from 2001. Households that viewed their dogs as family members visited the veterinarian an average of 3.0 times in 2006, compared to 2.2 visits for households that considered their dogs to be pets/companions and 1.1 visits for dogs considered property. The average veterinary expenditure per dog-owning household was $356 in 2006, an increase of $95 since 2001. The average expenditure per visit was $135 and $200 per dog. In 2006, the total spent on veterinary care for dogs was about $16.1 billion, a 38.8% increase over 2001 expenditures. Dog-owning households that considered their dogs to be family members spent 1.7 times more on veterinary expenditures than those that considered their dogs to be pet/companions and 3.4 times more than those that considered their dogs to be property in 2006.
Cat-owning households
Among cat-owning households, 63.7% had at least one visit to the veterinarian in 2006, down by 2.5% from 2001. Households that owned cats saw the veterinarian an average of 1.7 times in 2006, a 5.6% decrease since 2001. Each cat saw the veterinarian an average of 0.7 times a year in 2006, down 30.0% from 2001. In 2006, cats made an estimated 63.3 million visits to the veterinarian, a 10.6% decrease from 2001. Households that viewed their cats as family members visited the veterinarian an average of 2.0 times in 2006, compared to 1.4 visits for households that considered their cats to be pets/companions and 0.7 visits for cats considered property. The average veterinary expenditure per cat-owning household was $190 in 2006, an increase of $30 since 2001. The average expenditure per visit was $112 and $81 per cat.
Key Findings
In 2006, the total spent on veterinary care for cats was about $7.1 billion, a 7.6% increase over 2001 expenditures. Cat-owning households that considered their cats to be family members spent 1.6 times more on veterinary expenditures per household that those that considered their cats to be pets/companions and 3.3 times more than those that considered their cats to be property in 2006.
Bird-owning households
Among bird-owning households, 13.9% had at least one visit to the veterinarian in 2006, an increase of 18.8% from 2001. Households that owned birds saw the veterinarian an average of 0.3 times in 2006, which was the same as in 2001. Each bird saw the veterinarian an average of 0.1 times a year in 2006, down 50.0% from 2001. In 2006, birds made an estimated 1.3 million visits to the veterinarian, a 35.0% decrease from 2001. Households that viewed their birds as family members had a higher average number of veterinary visits (0.4), compared to households that viewed their birds as pets/companions (0.2) and property (0.1). The average veterinary expenditure per household for birds was $25 in 2006, an increase of $7 since 2001. The average veterinary expenditure per visit was $82 and $9 per bird. In 2006, the total spent on veterinary care for birds was about $102.8 million, a 24.4% decrease from 2001 expenditures. Bird-owning households that considered their birds to be family members spent 1.8 times more on veterinary expenditures per household than those that considered their birds to be pets/companions and 4.4 times more than those that considered their birds to be property.
Horse-owning households
Among horse-owning households, 61.1% had at least one visit to the veterinarian in 2006, an increase of 11.9% from 2001. Households that owned horses saw the veterinarian an average of 2.2 times in 2006, a 4.8% increase since 2001. Each horse saw the veterinarian an average of 0.5 times a year in 2006, down 44.4% from 2001. Among all pets, horses represented 2.2% of total veterinary visits in 2006. In 2006, horses made an estimated 4.3 million visits to the veterinarian, a 6.5% decrease from 2001. Unlike in homes with dogs, cats and birds, households that viewed their horses as property visited the veterinarian more often than those that viewed their horses as family members, pets or companions. Horses considered property saw the veterinarian an average of 4.1 times in 2006 vs. 2.1 for those considered family members and pets/companions. The average veterinary expenditure per household for horses was about $360, an increase of about $97 since 2001. The average veterinary expenditure per visit was $167 and $92 per horse. In 2006, the total spent on veterinary care for horses was about $718.3 million, an 18.1% increase over 2001 expenditures. Horse-owning households who considered their horses to be property spent more on veterinary expenditures than households that considered their horses to be family members and pets/companions.
Key Findings
Specialty and Exotic Pet-Owning Households

Among those households owning specialty and exotic pets, households that owned ferrets took their animals to the veterinarian most often, followed by guinea pigs, rabbits and those pets classified as other rodents. Households least likely to obtain veterinary care for their specialty and exotic pets include those that owned fish and those classified as other reptiles. Households that owned specialty and exotic pets saw the veterinarian an average of 0.3 times in 2006. Each specialty and exotic pet saw the veterinarian an average of 0.08 times in 2006. In 2006, specialty and exotic pets made an estimated 4.7 million visits to the veterinarian. The average veterinary expenditure per household for specialty and exotic pets was about $25, an increase of $2 since 2001. The average veterinary expenditure for specialty and exotic pets in 2006 was $93 per visit and $7 per pet. In 2006, the total spent on veterinary care for specialty and exotic pets was $435 million.
Section 3: Pet Owner Demographics

All Pet-Owning Households
Households categorized as parents continued to rank the highest in pet ownership in 2006, followed by couples and singles. The largest growth rate in household pet ownership was in retired older couples. Pet ownership was highest among those married, followed by those divorced, widowed or separated, and those never married. The likelihood of owning a pet increased as the size of the household increased. In general, pet ownership increased as household income increased. Households working full time were most likely to own pets, followed by those not employed, those working part time, and those retired. Those that owned a home were more likely to own a pet than those that rented. People living in mobile homes and houses were more likely to own a pet than those living in duplexes, condominiums or apartments. As community size increased, pet ownership decreased in 2006. The above findings hold true in the majority of cases for dog-, cat-, bird-, and horse-owning households.
Key Findings
Section 4: Pet Owner Profiles

In comparison to all households, Pet-owing households were more likely to be married and less likely to be single. Pet-owning households were more likely to have children. Pet owners were more likely to live in households with two or more members. Pet-owning households were more likely to be employed full time and less likely to be retired. Pet-owning households tended to have higher household incomes. Pet owners were more likely to own homes. Pet owners were more likely to have lived in houses. Pet owners were more likely to live in communities with populations less than 500,000. The above findings hold true in the majority of cases for dog-, cat-, bird-, and horse-owning households.
Total Pet Ownership and Pet Population | ALL PETS
SECTION 1 Total Pet Ownership and Pet Population

Chapter 1: All Pets
In 2006, 59.5% of all U.S. households owned a pet at sometime during the year (Figure 1-1). While the percentage of U.S. households owning pets has remained fairly stable over time, the number of U.S. households owning pets in 2006 grew to 68.7 million, resulting in a 12.4% increase since 2001 (61.1 million households).
Figure 1-1. Percentage and number of households that owned at least one pet at any time during the year, 1991-2006
100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0%
68,700,000 54,800,000 58,300,000 61,100,000
80,000,000 60,000,000
57.9%
58.9%
58.3%
59.5%
40,000,000 20,000,000 0
1991
1996
2001
2006
About half (49.7%) of households considered their pets to be family members and nearly half (48.2%) considered their pets to be pets/companions (Table 1-1). The remaining 2.1% considered their pets to be property. The degree to which owners bond with their pets varied somewhat by the age of the pet owner. The group with the highest percentage of respondents that considered their pets to be family members was the 19- to 29-year-old (52.8%) age range, while the lowest rate1 was in the 65-or-more (41.3%) age range.
Table 1-1. How pet owners viewed their pets, 2006 I consider my pet(s) to be a: Family member Pet/companion Property % % % 49.7 48.2 2.1 46.7 49.3 3.9 52.8 45.1 2.1 51.2 47.1 1.6 49.2 48.8 2.0 41.3 55.8 2.9
Age of pet owner All 18 19-29 30-49 50-64 65 or more
The rate of pet ownership will be used interchangeably with the percentage of households that owned pets through this report.
ALL PETS | Total Pet Ownership and Pet Population
The 10 states that had the highest percentage of pet-owning households in 2006 were Vermont (74.5%), Idaho (73.4%), Oregon (73.1%), Wyoming (70.3%), New Mexico (70.1%), Maine (69.6%), Montana (69.3%), Oklahoma (69.1%), West Virginia (66.7%) and Washington (65.8%) (Figure 1-2). Half of the states are in the Northwestern section of the United States. With the exception of Vermont, these same states had the highest percentage of pet-owning households in 2001. (Nevada was among the Top 10 states in 2001). The 10 states with the lowest percentage of pet-owning households were Florida (54.6%), Mississippi (54.2%), Rhode Island (53.9%), Louisiana (53.8%), Illinois (51.4%), North Dakota (51.0%), Massachusetts (50.7%), Maryland (50.2%), New Jersey (49.5%) and New York (49.2%). The District of Columbia also had a low rate of pet ownership (20.2%). For detailed information on pet ownership, including the percentage of households with pets and the pet population for all 50 states, please see Table 1-2 at the end of this chapter.
Figure 1-2. Percentage of households that owned pets: Top and bottom 10 states, Dec. 31, 2006
WA 65.8% MT 69.3% ID 73.4% ND 51.0% MN
VT 74.5%
ME 69.6%
OR 73.1%
WY 70.3%
SD IA
WA MI PA IL 51.4% MO TN AK MS 54.2% LA 53.8% AL GA SC OH IN KY WV 66.7% VA NE
NY 49.2%
NH
MA 50.7%
NV UT CA CO
KS
RI CT 53.9% NJ 49.5% DE MD DC 50.2% 20.2%
NC AZ NM 70.1% OK 69.1%
TX
Indicates top 10 states in 2006 Indicates bottom 10 states in 2006
FL 54.6%
Total Pet Ownership and Pet Population | ALL PETS
Overall, three-out-of-four (74.5%) pet owners with primary responsibility for taking care of their pets were female (Figure 1-3). To varying degrees, females had primary responsibility for taking care of their pets across all age groups. Females were more pronounced as caretakers in the 19-29 (84.7%) and the 30-49 (77.2%) age ranges. The age group that was closest to sharing the primary responsibility was < 18 (54.9% female, 45.1% male).
Figure 1-3. Age and gender of person with primary responsibility for pet care, 2006
90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% All 18 19-29 30-49 50-64 65+
2 5.5 % 15.3 % 27 .0% 2 2 .8 % 54 .9% 4 5 .1% 3 3.0 % 7 4 .5 % 8 4.7 % 7 7 .2 % 7 3.0 % 6 7.0 %
Male Female
About two-thirds (64.0%) of pet-owning households owned more than one pet in 2006 (Figure 1-4). Of all pet owners, 36.0% had one pet, 23.8% had two pets, 11.9% had three pets, 7.1% had four pets, and 21.2% had five or more pets at the end of 2006. The average number of pets per household was 3.2, when not including fish, poultry, livestock and other birds.
Figure 1-4. Percentage of households that owned pets by number owned, Dec. 31, 2001 & 2006
45% 40% 35% 30% 25% 20% 15% 10% 5% 0% 1 2 3 4 5 or more
2 3 .8 % 11.6 % 11.9 % 6 .6 % 7 .1% 2 3 .6 % 3 6 .0 % 19 .3 % 2 1.2 % 3 8 .9 %
2001 2006
ALL PETS | Total Pet Ownership and Pet Population
The number of households that owned pets in each state was estimated by multiplying the percentage of pet owners by the total number of households in each state (Table 1-2). The total pet population was estimated by multiplying the number of households in each state by the average number of pets per household in each state. The percentage of households that owned pets varied by region and state. Across the nine census regions, the Mountain region had the highest percentage of pet owners (64.2%). The West South Central (60.9%), Pacific (59.9%), West North Central (59.5%) and East South Central (58.6%) were also higher than the national average. The New England (56.3%), East North Central (55.9%) and South Atlantic (55.4%) regions had percentages lower than the national average. The region with the lowest percentage of pet owners was the Middle Atlantic (51.7%). The states with the highest number of pet-owning households were California (7.3 million), Texas (5.2 million) and Florida (4.1 million).
10
Total Pet Ownership and Pet Population | ALL PETS Table 1-2. Percentage of households that owned pets and number of pet-owning households by region and state, Dec. 31, 2006 Number of Households (in 1,000)* 115,509 5,684 1,407 541 2,511 527 433 265 15,705 3,167 7,538 5,000 18,468 4,957 2,522 4,100 4,572 2,317 8,204 1,238 1,116 2,095 2,443 719 271 322 22,658 342 259 7,492 3,551 2,138 3,478 1,754 2,900 744 Number of Pet Households (in 1,000) 66,270 3,202 783 376 1,274 341 234 197 8,116 1,569 3,710 2,807 10,331 2,546 1,473 2,347 2,603 1,349 4,878 738 717 1,160 1,497 450 138 184 12,557 200 52 4,090 2,010 1,074 2,023 963 1,632 497
United States New England Connecticut Maine Massachusetts New Hampshire Rhode Island Vermont Middle Atlantic New Jersey New York Pennsylvania East North Central Illinois Indiana Michigan Ohio Wisconsin West North Central Iowa Kansas Minnesota Missouri Nebraska North Dakota South Dakota South Atlantic Delaware District of Columbia Florida Georgia Maryland North Carolina South Carolina Virginia West Virginia
Percentage of Owners 57.4 56.3 55.6 69.6 50.7 64.6 53.9 74.5 51.7 49.5 49.2 56.1 55.9 51.4 58.4 57.2 56.9 58.2 59.5 59.6 64.2 55.4 61.3 62.6 51.0 57.2 55.4 58.6 20.2 54.6 56.6 50.2 58.2 54.9 56.3 66.7
* U.S. Census Bureau: 2006 Current Population Survey
11
ALL PETS | Total Pet Ownership and Pet Population Table 1-2. Percentage of households that owned pets and number of pet-owning households by region and state, Dec. 31, 2006 Number of Households (in 1,000)* 7,215 1,859 1,694 1,136 2,526 12,667 1,162 1,569 1,380 8,556 8,028 2,298 1,927 546 437 973 784 842 221 16,880 12,853 1,480 2,547 Number of Pet Households (in 1,000) 4,226 1,040 1,029 616 1,535 7,717 726 845 954 5,184 5,153 1,407 1,217 401 303 616 549 512 155 10,117 7,306 1,082 1,676
East South Central Alabama Kentucky Mississippi Tennessee West South Central Arkansas Louisiana Oklahoma Texas Mountain Arizona Colorado Idaho Montana Nevada New Mexico Utah Wyoming Pacific California Oregon Washington
Percentage of Owners 58.6 55.9 60.7 54.2 60.8 60.9 62.5 53.8 69.1 60.6 64.2 61.2 63.1 73.4 69.3 63.3 70.1 60.9 70.3 59.9 56.8 73.1 65.8
12
Total Pet Ownership and Pet Population | MULTIPLE PETS
Chapter 2: Multiple-Pet Ownership

Respondents were asked to indicate what type of pets they had year-end and how many they had of each type of pet (Figure 1-5). Among pet owners, 30.2% had dogs only, 24.3% had cats only, 15.9% had dogs and cats only, 1.0% had birds only, and 0.2% had horses only. The remaining 28.4% of households had other various combinations of multiple pets in their home.
Figure 1-5. Multiple pet ownership rates, Dec. 31, 2006
Horse(s) only 0.2%
Dog(s) & cat(s) only 15.9%
Bird(s) only 1.0% Cat(s) only 24.3%
All other m ultiple species com binations 28.4%
Dog(s) only 30.2%
Overall, dog-only households were more likely to consider their dogs to be family members (49.6%), compared to dog- and cat-only households (47.6%) and cat-only households (41.0%) (Table 1-3).
Table 1-3. How dog-only owners, cat-only owners, and dog- and cat-only owners viewed their pets, 2006 I consider my pet(s) to be a: Family member Pet/companion Property Type of household % % % Dog only 49.6 39.4 1.1 Cat only 41.0 46.9 1.3 Dog and cat only 47.6 40.4 1.0
13
MULTIPLE PETS | Total Pet Ownership and Pet Population
Many households owned more than one type of pet, and there were various scenarios of pet ownership by the type of household (dog-owning, cat-owning, bird-owning, and horse-owning) (Table 1-4). For example, the table indicates that 41.0% of dog-owning households, which represent 37.2% of all U.S. households, also owned cats. On the other hand, 47.0% of cat-owning households, which represent 32.4% of all U.S. households, also owned dogs. When focusing on bird-owning households, 64.8% also owned dogs, 49.7% also owned cats, and 5.6% also owned horses.
Table 1-4. Pet ownership rates, at least one type of pet, Dec. 31, 2006 Type of household Dog-owning households Cat-owning households Bird-owning households Horse-owning households Dogs % 100.0 47.0 64.8 83.9 Cats % 41.0 100.0 49.7 69.9 Birds % 6.7 5.9 100.0 12.0 Horses % 4.1 3.9 5.6 100.0
14
Total Pet Ownership and Pet Population | DOG
Chapter 3: Dog Ownership

Nationally, 37.2% of all households owned a dog at year-end 2006, representing a 3.0% increase from 2001 (Figure 1-6). After a decline in 1996, dog ownership has steadily increased. In 2006, approximately 43 million households owned a dog, a 13.8% increase from 37.8 million in 2001. At the end of 2006, the U.S. dog population was approximately 72 million (Table 1-8).
Figure 1-6. Percentage and number of households that owned a dog, Dec. 31, 1991-2006
100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% 80,000,000 60,000,000 34,500,000 37,800,000 31,300,000 43,000,000 40,000,000
36.5%
31.6%
36.1%
37.2%
20,000,000 0
1991
1996
2001
2006
The 10 states with the highest percentage of dog owners at year-end 2006 were Wyoming (56.0%), Oklahoma (55.8%), New Mexico (54.5%), Montana (49.7%), West Virginia (49.1%), Idaho (49.1%), Arkansas (48.8%), Kansas (45.8%), Oregon (45.1%) and Tennessee (44.9%) (Figure 1-7). The 10 states with the lowest percentage of dog owners were Rhode Island (32.8%), Delaware (32.6%), Utah (32.6%), North Dakota (31.0%), Illinois (31.0%), Maryland (29.0%), Connecticut (28.9%), New York (26.1%), New Jersey (27.4%) and Massachusetts (23.3%). The District of Columbia (11.1%) also had a low percentage of dog owners. For detailed information on dog ownership, including the percentage of households with dogs, the dog population and trend information for all 50 states, please see Tables 1-8 and 1-9 at the end of this chapter.
15
DOG | Total Pet Ownership and Pet Population Figure 1-7. Percentage of households that owned dogs: Top and bottom 10 states, Dec. 31, 2006
WA ME OR 45.1% ID 49.1% MT 49.7% ND 31.0% MN VT NH MA 23.3% RI 32.8% CT NJ 28.9% 27.4% DE 32.6% MD DC 29.0% 11.1%
WY 56.0%
SD IA
WA MI PA IL 31.0% MO TN 44.9% OH IN KY WV 49.1% VA NC SC GA NE
NY 26.1%
NV CA UT 32.6% CO
KS 45.8%
AZ
NM 54.5%
OK 55.8%
AK 48.8% MS
AL
TX
LA FL
Over half (53.5%) of dog owners considered their dogs to be family members, while 45.1% considered them to be pets or companions (Table 1-5). Only 1.3% considered their dogs to be property. The percentage of dog owners that considered their dogs to be family members was similar for age groups under 65 (ranging from 53.4% to 55.9%). However, for those 65 and older, fewer (45.3%) considered their dogs to be family members and over half (52.6%) were likely to consider their dogs to be pets/companions.
Table 1-5. How dog owners viewed their dogs by age of dog owner, 2006 I consider my dog(s) to be a: Family member Pet/companion Property % % % 53.5 45.1 1.3 54.6 42.9 2.5 55.9 42.8 1.3 54.3 44.8 1.0 53.4 45.0 1.6 45.3 52.6 2.1
Age of dog owner All 18 19-29 30-49 50-64 65 or more
16
The person who had primary responsibility for the care of the family dog was female in nearly three-fourths (74.2%) of dog-owning households (Figure 1-8). However, this percentage varied between the different age groups. For example, of those who had primary responsibility and were female, 53.5% were <18, compared to 84.4% who were 19-29 years old.
Figure 1-8. Age and gender of person with primary responsibility for dog care, 2006
90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% All 18 19-29 30-49 50-64 65+
2 5 .8 % 15.6% 28 .0% 2 2 .8 % 5 3 .5 % 4 6 .5 % 3 5 .0 % 74 .2 % 8 4 .4 % 7 7.2% 7 2 .0 % 6 5.0%
Male Female
The mean number of dogs per household was 1.7 in 2006, up 6.3% from 2001 (Table 1-6). Approximately six-out-of-ten (62.2%) households owned just one dog in 2006, with an additional 24.8% owning two, 7.5% owning three, and 5.5% owning four or more dogs.
Table 1-6. Percentage of households that owned dogs by number owned and mean number of dogs, Dec. 31, 1987-2006 1987 % 69.7 20.9 5.9 3.5 1.5 1991 % 70.2 20.2 5.6 4.0 1.5 1996 % 62.2 24.5 7.0 6.3 1.7 2001 % 64.9 23.1 6.5 5.5 1.6 2006 % 62.2 24.8 7.5 5.5 1.7
Number of dogs owned One Two Three Four or more Mean number of dogs (#)
17
DOG | Total Pet Ownership and Pet Population
Over half (56.0%) of the dog population was under the age of 6 in 2006 (Figure 1-9). Dogs less than 1 year made up 12.3%, dogs 1 to 5 made up 43.7%, dogs 6 to 10 made up 29.8%, and dogs 11 or older made up 14.1% of the dog population. There has been a moderate increase (5.3%) in the number of dogs older than 6 in the past two decades (41.7% in 1987 and 43.9% in 2006). However, there has been a 9.0% decrease in the number of dogs 11 or older in the past five years, returning to rates similar to 1991 (Table 1-7).
Figure 1-9. Percentage of households that owned dogs by age of dog, Dec. 31, 1987 & 2006
(Note: Prior to 1996, the ranges were 1 year or less and 2 to 5 years)
50% 45% 40% 35% 30% 25% 20%

19 .7% 2 7.1% 3 8 .6 % 4 3 .7%
2 9 .8 %
15% 10% 5% 0%
12 .3 % 14 .6 % 14 .1%
1987 2006 Less than 1 1 to 5 6 to 10 11 or older
Table 1-7. Percentage of households that owned dogs by age of dog, Dec. 31, 1987-2006 1987 % 19.7* 38.6* 27.1 14.6 1991 % 18.4* 39.9* 27.8 13.9 1996 % 14.6 43.0 28.7 13.7 2001 % 12.0 41.3 31.2 15.5 2006 % 12.3 43.7 29.8 14.1
Age of dog Less than 1 1 to 5 years 6 to 10 years 11 years or more
*Prior to 1996, the ranges were 1 year or less and 2 to 5 years
18
The number of households that owned dogs in each state was estimated by multiplying the percentage of dog owners by the total number of households in each state (Table 1-8). The total dog population was estimated by multiplying the number of households in each state by the average number of dogs per household in each state. Across the nine census regions, the region containing the highest percentage of dog owners was the West South Central region (45.7%). The Mountain (44.0%), East South Central (43.8%), West North Central (40.1%) and South Atlantic (37.3%) regions were also higher or similar to the national average. The Pacific (36.4%) and East North Central (35.2%) regions were slightly below the national average, while the Middle Atlantic (29.2%) and New England (28.6%) regions had the lowest percentage of dog owners. While each region experienced a moderate growth rate in dog ownership in the past five years, the New England region had the highest growth rate (7.9%) of all the regions (Table 1-9). The growth rates of the states that contributed the most to this five-year increase were Vermont (32.7%), New Hampshire (19.6%) and Rhode Island (12.7%). States in other regions that experienced large growth rates (over 10%) in the past five years were New Mexico (18.7%), Oregon (17.8%), Wyoming (16.9%), Oklahoma (15.1%), Arkansas (14.8%), Tennessee (12.5%) and Iowa (11.9%). The District of Columbia had a 63.2% growth rate in the past five years. The states which had the biggest decline in the percentage of dog owners since 2001 were North Dakota (-14.1%), followed by Illinois (-9.6%). The three states with the highest population of dogs were California (7.0 million), Texas (7.0 million) and Florida (4.4 million).
19
DOG | Total Pet Ownership and Pet Population Table 1-8. Percentage of households that owned dogs, number of dog-owning households, mean number of dogs per household and total dog population by region and state, Dec. 31, 2006 Number of Dog-Owning Households (in 1,000) 43,021 1,627 407 194 586 186 142 116 4,592 868 1,970 1,718 6,496 1,539 932 1,509 1,656 850 3,288 467 512 716 1,084 313 84 127 8,447 112 29 2,670 1,440 619 1,507 688 1,012 365 Mean Number per Household 1.7 1.4 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.4 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.4 1.5 1.5 1.6 1.5 1.7 1.6 1.7 1.5 1.6 1.4 1.7 1.4 1.8 1.5 1.6 1.3 1.7 1.3 1.4 1.7 1.8 1.6 1.8 1.8 1.6 1.9
Number of Households (in 1,000)* 115,509 5,684 1,407 541 2,511 527 433 265 15,705 3,167 7,538 5,000 18,468 4,957 2,522 4,100 4,572 2,317 8,204 1,238 1,116 2,095 2,443 719 271 322 22,658 342 259 7,492 3,551 2,138 3,478 1,754 2,900 744
Percentage of Dog Owners 37.2 28.6 28.9 35.8 23.3 35.4 32.8 43.8 29.2 27.4 26.1 34.4 35.2 31.0 36.9 36.8 36.2 36.7 40.1 37.7 45.8 34.2 44.4 43.6 31.0 39.5 37.3 32.6 11.1 35.6 40.5 29.0 43.3 39.2 34.9 49.1
Dog Population (in 1,000) 72,114 2,337 544 276 873 263 213 171 6,994 1,234 3,053 2,653 10,239 2,272 1,591 2,349 2,779 1,236 5,151 655 887 998 1,900 465 131 163 14,463 143 40 4,423 2,577 998 2,694 1,254 1,638 682
20
Total Pet Ownership and Pet Population | DOG Table 1-8. Percentage of households that owned dogs, number of dog-owning households, mean number of dogs per household and total dog population by region and state, Dec. 31, 2006 Number of Dog-Owning Households (in 1,000) 3,157 766 752 502 1,135 5,793 567 622 770 3,814 3,532 990 833 268 217 422 427 274 124 6,142 4,425 668 1,015 Mean Number per Household 1.9 1.9 1.8 2.0 1.9 1.9 2.3 1.8 2.0 1.8 1.8 1.9 1.7 1.8 1.6 1.6 2.1 1.6 1.9 1.6 1.6 1.6 1.6
Number of Households (in 1,000)* 7,215 1,859 1,694 1,136 2,526 12,667 1,162 1,569 1,380 8,556 8,028 2,298 1,927 546 437 973 784 842 221 16,880 12,853 1,480 2,547
Percentage of Dog Owners 43.8 41.2 44.4 44.2 44.9 45.7 48.8 39.7 55.8 44.6 44.0 43.1 43.3 49.1 49.7 43.4 54.5 32.6 56.0 36.4 34.4 45.1 39.9
Dog Population (in 1,000) 5,991 1,419 1,365 1,028 2,186 11,062 1,306 1,118 1,574 6,963 6,265 1,849 1,413 479 351 674 878 446 230 9,733 6,990 1,063 1,624
21
DOG | Total Pet Ownership and Pet Population Table 1-9. Trends in dog ownership by region and state, Dec. 31, 1996-2006 1996 Percentage of Households United States 31.6 New England 24.0 Connecticut 25.2 Maine 26.9 Massachusetts 22.5 New Hampshire 25.5 Rhode Island 22.6 Vermont 25.8 Middle Atlantic 24.0 New Jersey 23.1 New York 21.9 Pennsylvania 27.7 East North Central 30.0 Illinois 28.3 Indiana 33.6 Michigan 30.2 Ohio 30.4 Wisconsin 28.2 West North Central 33.1 Iowa 31.6 Kansas 34.8 Minnesota 28.5 Missouri 36.9 Nebraska 35.2 North Dakota 27.6 South Dakota 34.3 South Atlantic 31.7 Delaware 31.2 District of Columbia 6.9 Florida 28.2 Georgia 35.8 Maryland 26.6 North Carolina 36.9 South Carolina 35.8 Virginia 31.3 West Virginia 39.3 Total Population (in 1,000) 52,922 1,825 498 196 757 148 127 109 5,152 954 2,222 1,976 7,903 2,059 1,182 1,678 2,166 818 3,852 538 572 758 1,368 365 106 145 10,027 134 27 2,758 1,677 758 1,865 928 1,346 534 2001 Percentage of Households 36.1 26.5 28.4 37.7 21.4 29.6 29.1 33.0 28.5 26.2 26.1 33.6 35.5 34.3 36.8 36.0 35.9 35.2 38.3 33.7 42.0 32.6 41.9 43.5 36.1 42.3 35.8 35.6 6.8 32.5 39.2 30.8 39.9 38.9 36.0 50.3 Total Population (in 1,000) 61,572 1,977 518 312 680 197 142 127 6,110 1,124 2,579 2,408 9,328 2,363 1,289 2,181 2,394 1,101 4,630 581 698 927 1,655 435 139 196 12,097 181 22 3,296 2,003 976 2,249 1,074 1,555 740 2006 Percentage of Households 37.2 28.6 28.9 35.8 23.3 35.4 32.8 43.8 29.2 27.4 26.1 34.4 35.2 31.0 36.9 36.8 36.2 36.7 40.1 37.7 45.8 34.2 44.4 43.6 31.0 39.5 37.3 32.6 11.1 35.6 40.5 29.0 43.3 39.2 34.9 49.1 Total Population (in 1,000) 72,114 2,337 544 276 873 263 213 171 6,994 1,234 3,053 2,653 10,239 2,272 1,591 2,349 2,779 1,236 5,151 655 887 998 1,900 465 131 163 14,463 143 40 4,423 2,577 998 2,694 1,254 1,638 682
22
Total Pet Ownership and Pet Population | DOG Table 1-9. Trends in dog ownership by region and state, Dec. 31, 1996-2006 1996 Percentage of Households East South Central Alabama Kentucky Mississippi Tennessee West South Central Arkansas Louisiana Oklahoma Texas Mountain Arizona Colorado Idaho Montana Nevada New Mexico Utah Wyoming Pacific California Oregon Washington 36.1 35.9 35.4 37.5 36.0 40.3 41.2 35.7 41.7 40.9 37.2 34.4 38.1 39.4 40.0 37.8 41.3 31.8 47.9 32.4 32.0 32.9 34.0 Total Population (in 1,000) 4,484 1,136 1,066 835 1,447 8,007 816 976 1,026 5,189 3,771 959 934 293 226 358 498 366 137 7,901 6,085 700 1,116 2001 Percentage of Households 41.4 41.0 42.9 43.1 39.9 44.2 42.5 43.4 48.5 43.8 42.1 40.0 43.7 48.1 46.6 42.3 45.9 32.4 47.9 36.1 35.6 38.3 37.4 Total Population (in 1,000) 5,021 1,353 1,297 857 1,515 9,109 887 1,222 1,172 5,829 4,707 1,293 1,159 384 284 508 529 363 186 8,593 6,552 766 1,274 2006 Percentage of Households 43.8 41.2 44.4 44.2 44.9 45.7 48.8 39.7 55.8 44.6 44.0 43.1 43.3 49.1 49.7 43.4 54.5 32.6 56.0 36.4 34.4 45.1 39.9 Total Population (in 1,000) 5,991 1,419 1,365 1,028 2,186 11,062 1,306 1,118 1,574 6,963 6,265 1,849 1,413 479 351 674 878 446 230 9,733 6,990 1,063 1,624
23
CAT | Total Pet Ownership and Pet Population
Chapter 4: Cat Ownership

In 2006, 32.4% of all U.S. households owned a cat, the highest rate in the past decade (Figure 1-10). Cat ownership increased 2.5% since 2001. There were approximately 37.5 million cat-owning households in 2006, compared to 33.2 million in 2001. The total U.S. cat population at the end of 2006 was approximately 81.7 million (Table 1-13).
Figure 1-10. Percentage and number of households that owned a cat, Dec. 31, 1991-2006
100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% 80,000,000 60,000,000 29,200,000 33,200,000 27,000,000 37,500,000 40,000,000
30.9%
27.3%
31.6%
32.4%
20,000,000 0
1991
1996
2001
2006
The 10 states that had the highest percentage of cat owners in 2006 were Maine (56.4%), Vermont (53.3%), Oregon (52.2%), Idaho (48.4%), Washington (44.5%), New Hampshire (44.3%), Montana (42.2%), Kansas (41.1%), West Virginia (39.6%) and New Mexico (39.1%) (Figure 1-11). The 10 states with the lowest percentage of cat owners in 2006 were Arizona (30.6%), Maryland (29.7%), South Carolina (29.4%), Florida (28.8%), New York (28.7%), Mississippi (28.6%), Nevada (28.4%), Illinois (26.9%), New Jersey (26.8%) and Louisiana (23.3%). The District of Columbia (13.7%) also had a low percentage of cat owners. For detailed information on cat ownership, including the percentage of households with cats, cat populations and trend information for all 50 states, please sees Table 1-13 and Table 1-14 at the end of this chapter.
24
Total Pet Ownership and Pet Population | CAT Figure 1-11. Percentage of households that owned cats: Top and bottom 10 states, Dec. 31, 2006
WA 44.5% MT 42.2% ID 48.4% ND MN NH 44.3% VT 53.3%
ME 56.4%
OR 52.2%
WY
SD IA
WA MI PA IL 26.9% MO TN AK MS 28.6% AL GA SC 29.4% OH IN KY WV 39.6% VA NC NE
NY 28.7%
MA RI CT NJ 26.8% DE MD 29.7% DC 13.7%
NV 28.4% CA
UT CO KS 41.1%
AZ 30.6%
NM 39.1%
OK
TX
LA 23.3% FL 28.8%
There was a fairly even split in the way cat owners viewed their pets in 2006; 49.2% of all cat owners considered their cats to be family members, while 49.4% considered them to be pets/companions (Table 1-10). An additional 1.4% considered their cats to be property. The age of the respondent impacted the bond they had with their cat. For example, over half of cat owners between 19 and 49 (19-29, 54.6%; 30-49, 51.3%) considered their cats to be a family members, compared to 37.9% of cat owners aged 65 or older.
Table 1-10. How cat owners viewed their cats by age of cat owner, 2006 I consider my cat(s) to be a: Family member Pet/companion Property % % % 49.2 49.4 1.4 46.7 50.1 3.1 54.6 44.0 1.3 51.3 47.9 0.8 46.9 51.6 1.5 37.9 59.2 2.9
Age of cat owner All 18 19-29 30-49 50-64 65 or more
25
Nearly eight-out-of-ten (78.1%) owners responsible for the care of their cats were female (Figure 1-12). While females were more responsible across all age groups, there were some differences. The 19- to 29-year-old age group had the highest rate of females involved in the primary care (86.6%), versus the < 18 age group (59.6%). Responsibility within the other age groups ranged from 69.9% to 80.8%.
Figure 1-12. Age and gender of person with primary responsibility for cat care, 2006
100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% All 18 19-29 30-49 50-64 65+
2 1.9% 13 .4% 4 0.4% 3 0.1% 23 .8% 19.2% 59 .6% 7 8.1% 86.6% 8 0.8 % 76 .2% 69.9%
Male Female
The mean number of cats per household was 2.2 in 2006, up from 2.1 in 2001 (Table 1-11). The number of cat owners with just one cat dropped in 2006 (48.2%), compared to 2001 (50.8%), resulting in more households with multiple cats. The percentage of households owning two cats (28.5%), three cats (10.2%) and four or more cats (13.1%) in 2006 were all higher than in 2001.
Table 1-11. Percentage of households that owned cats by number owned and mean number of cats, Dec. 31, 1987-2006 1987 % 57.4 27.4 8.2 10.0 2.0 1991 % 57.8 23.9 8.1 10.2 2.0 1996 % 48.0 27.9 10.7 13.4 2.2 2001 % 50.8 26.8 9.9 12.6 2.1 2006 % 48.2 28.5 10.2 13.1 2.2
Number of cats owned One Two Three Four or more Mean number of cats (#)
26
Total Pet Ownership and Pet Population | CAT
Overall, 55.9% of the cat population was under the age of 6 in 2006 (Figure 1-13). Cats less than 1 year made up 13.7% of the total cat population, cats 1 to 5 made up 42.2%, cats 6 to 10 made up 27.4%, and cats 11 or older made up 16.7% of the cat population. However, there has been a 54.7% jump in the percentage of cats over 5 years old in the past several years (28.5% in 1987 and 44.1% in 2006). See Table 1-12 for trend information.
Figure 1-13. Percentage of households that owned cats by age of cat, Dec. 31, 1987 & 2006
(Note: Prior to 1996, the ranges were 1 year or less and 2 to 5 years)
50% 45% 40% 35% 30% 25% 20% 15% 10% 5% 0%

13 .7% 10 .6 % 17.9 % 16 .7% 2 8 .1% 2 7.4 % 4 3 .4 % 4 2 .2 %
1987 2006
Less than 1
1 to 5
6 to 10
11 or older
Table 1-12. Percentage of households that owned cats by age of cat, Dec. 31, 1987-2006 1987 % 28.1* 43.4* 17.9 10.6 1991 % 22.5* 44.1* 22.4 11.0 1996 % 18.1 44.5 24.1 13.3 2001 % 16.6 40.9 25.7 16.8 2006 % 13.7 42.2 27.4 16.7
Age of cat Less than 1 1 to 5 years 6 to 10 years 11 years or more
27
The number of households that owned cats in each state was estimated by multiplying the percentage of cat owners by the total number of households in each state. The total cat population was estimated by multiplying the number of households in each state by the average number of cats per household in each state. Among the nine census regions, the region that comprised the highest percentage of cat owners in the U.S. was New England (38.8%) (Table 1-13). The Pacific (36.5%), Mountain (34.5%) and West North Central (34.1%) regions were higher than the national average, while the East South Central (31.7%), East North Central (31.1%) and South Atlantic (30.6%) regions were below the national average. The Middle Atlantic (29.6%) region had the lowest percentage of cat owners. Most of the regions had a positive growth rate regarding the percentage of cat owners in the last five years, with New England (9.9%) achieving the highest rate of all regions (Table 1-14). The growth rates of the states that had the biggest impact on New England were Vermont (37.4%), Rhode Island (30.7%), Maine (21.8%) and New Hampshire (11.0%). States in other regions that had notable growth rates (over 10%) in percentage of cat owners were Iowa (23.9%), Kansas (22.6%), Oregon (15.5%), New Mexico (15.3%), Maryland (12.1%), Arkansas (11.7%), West Virginia (10.9%) and Tennessee (10.2%). The states that had the biggest decline in the rate of cat owners since 2001 were North Dakota (-15.7), Wyoming (-12.8%) and Louisiana (-10.7%). The three states with the highest population of cats were California (8.8 million), Texas (6.4 million) and Florida (4.6 million).
28
Total Pet Ownership and Pet Population | CAT Table 1-13. Percentage of households that owned cats, number of cat-owning households, mean number of cats per household and total cat population by region and state, Dec. 31, 2006 Number of Cat-Owning Households (in 1,000) 37,460 2,203 498 305 869 233 159 141 4,652 850 2,162 1,624 5,738 1,335 810 1,332 1,481 767 2,797 429 460 669 806 243 87 102 6,925 114 35 2,155 1,091 635 1,082 515 969 294 Mean Number per Household 2.2 1.9 1.9 2.1 1.7 2.1 2.0 2.2 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.0 2.2 2.1 2.4 2.1 2.4 2.3 2.7 2.3 2.3 2.6 2.0 2.3 2.2 2.3 1.5 2.1 2.3 2.1 2.2 2.2 2.2 2.4
Number of Households (in 1,000)* 115,509 5,684 1,407 541 2,511 527 433 265 15,705 3,167 7,538 5,000 18,468 4,957 2,522 4,100 4,572 2,317 8,204 1,238 1,116 2,095 2,443 719 271 322 22,658 342 259 7,492 3,551 2,138 3,478 1,754 2,900 744
Percentage of Cat Owners 32.4 38.8 35.4 56.4 34.6 44.3 36.6 53.3 29.6 26.8 28.7 32.5 31.1 26.9 32.1 32.5 32.4 33.1 34.1 34.7 41.2 31.9 33.0 33.7 32.2 31.7 30.6 33.3 13.7 28.8 30.7 29.7 31.1 29.4 33.4 39.6
Cat Population (in 1,000) 81,721 4,221 950 638 1,510 498 318 315 9,510 1,703 4,340 3,421 12,528 2,692 1,821 2,814 3,553 1,612 6,692 1,006 1,239 1,511 1,889 639 171 238 15,223 262 54 4,633 2,485 1,307 2,409 1,157 2,107 720
29
CAT | Total Pet Ownership and Pet Population Table 1-13. Percentage of households that owned cats, number of cat-owning households, mean number of cats per household and total cat population by region and state, Dec. 31, 2006 Number of Cat-Owning Households (in 1,000) 2,284 576 558 325 820 3,921 421 365 471 2,658 2,772 703 662 264 184 276 306 286 86 6,166 4,192 773 1,134 Mean Number per Household 2.3 2.2 2.5 2.6 2.2 2.4 2.3 2.1 2.6 2.4 2.1 2.0 2.2 2.0 2.7 1.9 2.3 1.9 2.2 2.1 2.1 2.2 2.0
Number of Households (in 1,000)* 7,215 1,859 1,694 1,136 2,526 12,667 1,162 1,569 1,380 8,556 8,028 2,298 1,927 546 437 973 784 842 221 16,880 12,853 1,480 2,547
Percentage of Cat Owners 31.7 31.0 32.9 28.6 32.5 31.0 36.3 23.3 34.2 31.1 34.5 30.6 34.3 48.4 42.2 28.4 39.1 34.0 38.9 36.5 32.6 52.2 44.5
Cat Population (in 1,000) 5,355 1,281 1,392 835 1,830 9,413 983 761 1,218 6,446 5,859 1,419 1,472 517 494 521 693 553 191 12,942 8,775 1,706 2,316
30
Total Pet Ownership and Pet Population | CAT Table 1-14. Trends in cat ownership by region and state, Dec. 31, 1996-2006 1996 Percentage of Households 27.3 29.9 30.1 39.0 26.5 36.1 24.4 41.1 23.5 21.7 23.6 24.5 24.9 23.0 26.0 24.6 26.8 24.1 28.3 31.5 28.7 24.4 29.2 29.2 30.7 26.5 26.1 27.5 9.2 24.8 28.2 25.0 26.0 28.6 26.1 32.5 Total Population (in 1,000) 59,084 3,150 789 414 1,269 295 191 190 6,705 1,178 3,213 2,314 9,045 2,224 1,358 1,878 2,533 1,052 5,213 946 817 1,018 1,375 549 271 237 10,117 183 41 2,984 1,564 944 1,572 855 1,479 494 2001 Percentage of Households 31.6 35.3 35.6 46.3 32.7 39.9 28.0 38.8 28.5 24.4 28.1 31.6 30.3 28.0 33.0 31.1 30.3 30.9 32.2 28.0 33.6 30.4 33.7 35.9 38.2 30.9 29.4 31.5 11.4 29.2 28.6 26.5 29.6 30.4 31.5 35.7 Total Population (in 1,000) 70,796 3,632 788 552 1,518 322 274 178 8,781 1,645 3,966 3,170 10,992 2,572 1,696 2,473 2,964 1,289 5,783 836 872 1,210 1,849 550 206 260 12,335 160 51 3,701 1,891 997 2,040 1,026 1,785 683 2006 Percentage of Households 32.4 38.8 35.4 56.4 34.6 44.3 36.6 53.3 29.6 26.8 28.7 32.5 31.1 26.9 32.1 32.5 32.4 33.1 34.1 34.7 41.2 31.9 33.0 33.7 32.2 31.7 30.6 33.3 13.7 28.8 30.7 29.7 31.1 29.4 33.4 39.6 Total Population (in 1,000) 81,721 4,221 950 638 1,510 498 318 315 9,510 1,703 4,340 3,421 12,528 2,692 1,821 2,814 3,553 1,612 6,692 1,006 1,239 1,511 1,889 639 171 238 15,223 262 54 4,633 2,485 1,307 2,409 1,157 2,107 720
31
CAT | Total Pet Ownership and Pet Population Table 1-14. Trends in cat ownership by region and state, Dec. 31, 1996-2006 1996 Percentage of Households East South Central Alabama Kentucky Mississippi Tennessee West South Central Arkansas Louisiana Oklahoma Texas Mountain Arizona Colorado Idaho Montana Nevada New Mexico Utah Wyoming Pacific California Oregon Washington 27.5 26.3 28.9 25.2 28.5 27.8 27.9 21.2 27.9 29.4 30.2 25.7 29.3 42.7 35.0 31.9 29.6 30.0 36.4 32.5 30.6 38.6 39.0 Total Population (in 1,000) 3,772 907 1,010 643 1,212 6,923 731 662 1,007 4,523 3,829 889 890 407 267 361 431 423 162 10,331 7,572 1,066 1,692 2001 Percentage of Households 30.1 29.4 34.5 26.1 29.5 31.9 32.5 26.1 32.9 33.0 33.9 32.3 31.8 44.6 44.6 29.3 33.9 32.4 44.6 37.2 35.4 45.2 41.8 Total Population (in 1,000) 4,440 1,072 1,317 601 1,449 8,079 746 951 1,015 5,367 4,786 1,289 1,054 440 384 462 506 477 173 11,966 8,551 1,327 2,088 2006 Percentage of Households 31.7 31.0 32.9 28.6 32.5 31.0 36.3 23.3 34.2 31.1 34.5 30.6 34.3 48.4 42.2 28.4 39.1 34.0 38.9 36.5 32.6 52.2 44.5 Total Population (in 1,000) 5,355 1,281 1,392 835 1,830 9,413 983 761 1,218 6,446 5,859 1,419 1,472 517 494 521 693 553 191 12,942 8,775 1,706 2,316
32
Total Pet Ownership and Pet Population | BIRD
Chapter 5: Bird Ownership

In 2006, 3.9% of households owned a bird at year-end, which is a 15.2% decline since 2001 (Figure 1-14). Bird ownership has dropped 31.6% over the past 15 years. About 4.5 million U.S. households owned a bird in 2006, down from 4.8 million in 2001. The pet bird population was approximately 11.2 million at year-end 2006 (Table 1-18).
Figure 1-14. Percentage and number of households that owned a bird, Dec. 31, 1991-2006
50% 45% 40% 35% 30% 25% 20% 15% 10% 5% 0% 10,000,000 8,000,000 5,400,000 4,500,000 4,800,000 4,500,000 6,000,000 4,000,000 2,000,000
5.7% 1991
4.6% 1996
4.6% 2001
3.9%
0
2006
Bird ownership was estimated on a regional basis, rather than a state basis, due to insufficient observations available to develop statistically valid estimates for most states. The rate of bird ownership was highest in the Pacific (5.2%) and Mountain (4.4%) regions (Figure 1-15). The New England (4.2%) and West South Central (4.1%) regions were also higher than the national average, while the East South Central (3.9%) and South Atlantic (3.8%) regions were close to the national average. The lowest rates of bird ownership were in the Middle Atlantic (3.2%), East North Central (3.1%) and West North Central (3.0%) regions. For detailed information on bird ownership and trends for all regions, please see Tables 1-18 and 1-19 at the end of this chapter.
33
BIRD | Total Pet Ownership and Pet Population Figure 1-15. Percentage of households that owned birds by region, Dec. 31, 2006
WA MT OR ID Pacific 5.2% NV UT CA CO KS MO TN AK East South Central 3.9% MS LA FL AL KY WY Mountain 4.4% SD ME New VT England NH 4.2%
ND
MN West North Central 3.0% IA IL
WA
MI East North Central 3.1% IN WV VA NC
NY Middle Atlantic PA 3.2% OH MD
MA
RI CT NJ DE DC
NE
AZ
NM
OK West South Central 4.1% TX
South Atlantic SC 3.8% GA
Over half (51.3%) of bird owners in the U.S. considered birds to be family members, whereas 46.9% considered birds to be pets/companions, and 1.7% considered birds to be property (Table 1-15). Owners aged 19-64 were slightly more likely to consider their birds to be a family members, while respondents < 18 and 65 or more leaned more toward considering their birds to be pets/companions. Those 65 or older were more likely to consider their birds to be property (5.0%) compared to all other age groups.
Table 1-15. How bird owners viewed their birds by age of bird owner, 2006 I consider my bird(s) to be a: Family member Pet/companion Property % % % 51.3 46.9 1.7 34.5 65.5 0.0 53.0 45.0 2.1 50.3 48.7 0.9 55.3 43.3 1.5 43.3 51.7 5.0
Age of bird owner All 18 19-29 30-49 50-64 65 or more
34
The person with primary responsibility for the care of their pet bird in eight-out-of-ten (81.1%) households was female in 2006 (Figure 1-16). Females had the most responsibility across all age groups, ranging from 69.5% for females 65 and older to 90.2% for females 19-29 years old.
Figure 1-16. Age and gender of person with primary responsibility for bird care, 2006
100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% All 18
18 .9 % 9 .8 % 2 8 .2 % 16 .6% 2 0 .1% 3 0 .5 % 9 0 .2 % 8 1.1% 7 1.8 % 8 3 .4 % 79 .9 % 6 9 .5%
Male Female
19-29
30-49
50-64
65+
The mean number of birds per bird-owning household was 2.5 in 2006 (Table 1-16). Over the past decade, the mean number of birds per household fluctuated moderately, ranging from 2.1 in 2001 to 2.7 in 1996. Of bird-owning households in 2006, 54.8% owned one bird, 24.9% owned two birds, 7.0% owned three birds, and 13.2% owned four or more birds.
Table 1-16. Percentage of households that owned birds by number owned and mean number of birds, Dec. 31, 1987-2006 1987 % 63.5 21.7 4.8 10.0 2.5 1991 % 65.6 20.7 4.7 9.0 2.2 1996 % 53.4 24.9 7.8 13.9 2.7 2001 % 58.7 21.7 7.0 12.6 2.1 2006 % 54.8 24.9 7.0 13.2 2.5
Number of birds owned One Two Three Four or more Mean number of birds (#)
35
BIRD | Total Pet Ownership and Pet Population
Over two-thirds (68.1%) of pet birds were under 6 years old in 2006 (Figure 1-17). With respect to the age of birds, 15.5% were less than 1 year, 52.6% were 1 to 5 years, 19.0% were 6 to 10 years, and 12.9% were 11 years or older. There has been a 109% increase in the number of birds 6 and older in the past two decades (15.3% in 1987 and 31.9% in 2006). See Table 1-17 for trend information.
Figure 1-17. Percentage of households that owned birds by age of bird, Dec. 31, 1987 & 2006 (Note: Prior to 1996, the ranges were 1 year or less and 2 to 5 years)
60% 50% 40% 30% 20%

19 .0 % 3 2 .9 % 51.8 % 52 .6 %
10% 0%
15.5% 12 .9 % 9 .6 % 5.7%
1987 2006
Less than 1
1 to 5
6 to 10
11 or older
Table 1-17. Percentage of households that owned birds by age of bird, Dec. 31, 1987-2006 1987 % 32.9* 51.8* 9.6 5.7 1991 % 30.4* 50.8* 13.7 5.1 1996 % 20.5 55.2 16.5 7.8 2001 % 18.9 48.9 21.2 11.0 2006 % 15.5 52.6 19.0 12.9
Age of bird Less than 1 1 to 5 years 6 to 10 years 11 years or more
36
The number of households that owned birds in each state was estimated by multiplying the percentage of bird owners by the total number of households in each state. The total bird population was estimated by multiplying the number of households in each state by the average number of birds per household in each state. Due to the low number of bird-owning households in each state, regional data is provided (Table 1-18). The percentage of households that owned birds declined in all but two regions in the last five years (Table 1-19). The regions which experienced the largest drops were the Middle Atlantic (-25.6%) and East North Central (-24.4%). The South Atlantic (-19.1%), Pacific (-17.5%), West North Central (-16.7%), Mountain (-12.0%) and West South Central (-8.9%) regions also dropped in terms of ownership. The two regions that had an increase in the percentage of households with birds were East South Central (5.4%) and New England (5.0%). Most of the regions that experienced 5-year declines also had 10-year declines. The exceptions were the West North Central and West South Central regions. In 2006, the bird population was 11.2 million. While the percentage of bird-owning households has decreased in the past five years, the population of birds has increased 1.1 million since 2001 due to the 0.4 mean increase in birds per household and the growing number of households in the U.S. Of all census regions, the Pacific region had the highest population of birds (2.7 million) in 2006, whereas the East South Central (613,000) had the fewest number of birds.
37
BIRD | Total Pet Ownership and Pet Population Table 1-18. Percentage of households that owned birds, number of bird-owning households, mean number of birds per household and total bird population by region, Dec. 31, 2006 Number of BirdOwning Households (in 1,000) 4,453 239 509 566 249 856 279 524 353 876
United States New England Middle Atlantic East North Central West North Central South Atlantic East South Central West South Central Mountain Pacific
Number of Households (in 1,000)* 115,509 5,684 15,705 18,468 8,204 22,658 7,215 12,667 8,028 16,880
Percentage of Bird Owners 3.9 4.2 3.2 3.1 3.0 3.8 3.9 4.1 4.4 5.2
Mean Number per Household 2.5 3.0 1.9 2.0 2.8 2.4 2.2 2.4 2.9 3.1
Bird Population (in 1,000) 11,199 721 968 1,150 689 2,069 613 1,244 1,028 2,714

Table 1-19. Trends in bird ownership by region, Dec. 31, 1996-2006 1996 Percentage of Households 4.6 4.8 4.6 4.2 2.9 4.9 3.7 4.1 5.1 6.2 Total Population (in 1,000) 12,551 752 1,783 1,656 472 2,298 736 949 957 2,948 2001 Percentage of Households 4.6 4.0 4.3 4.1 3.6 4.7 3.7 4.5 5.0 6.3 Total Population (in 1,000) 10,105 409 1,281 1,485 512 1,877 513 1,132 705 2,189 2006 Percentage of Households 3.9 4.2 3.2 3.1 3.0 3.8 3.9 4.1 4.4 5.2 Total Population (in 1,000) 11,199 721 968 1,150 689 2,069 613 1,244 1,028 2,714
38
Total Pet Ownership and Pet Population | HORSE
Chapter 6: Horse Ownership

Horses are commonly owned and cared for on ranches, farms and other horse operations. However, this survey only solicited responses from owners that considered their horses to be pets. Nationally, 1.8% of U.S. households owned horses as pets in 2006, up 5.9% in the past five years (Figure 1-18). In 2006, there were an estimated 2.1 million horse-owning households in the U.S. The total horse population was 7.3 million, increasing approximately 43.1% from 2001, when the population was 5.1 million.
Figure 1-18. Percentage and number of households that owned a horse, Dec. 31, 1991-2006
50% 45% 40% 35% 30% 25% 20% 15% 10% 5% 0% 10,000,000 8,000,000 6,000,000 4,000,000 2,000,000
1,900,000
1,500,000
1,800,000
2,100,000
2.0% 1991
1.5% 1996
1.7% 2001
1.8%
0
2006
Horse ownership was estimated on a regional basis, rather than a state basis, due to insufficient observations available to develop statistically valid estimates for most states. The rate of horse ownership was highest in the Mountain region (3.2%) (Figure 1-19). The East South Central (2.8%), West North Central (2.6%), West South Central (2.6%) and Pacific (2.1%) regions were also higher than the national average. The East North Central (1.4%) and South Atlantic (1.3%) regions fell slightly below the national average. The lowest rates of horse ownership were in the New England (1.0%) and Middle Atlantic (0.9%) regions. For detailed information on horse ownership and trends for all regions, please see Tables 1-23 and 1-24 at the end of this chapter.
39
HORSE | Total Pet Ownership and Pet Population Figure 1-19. Percentage of households that owned horses by region, Dec. 31, 2006
WA MT OR ID Pacific 2.1% NV UT CA CO KS MO TN AK East South Central 2.8% MS LA FL AL KY WY Mountain 3.2% SD ME New VT England NH 1.0%
ND
MN West North Central 2.6% IA IL
WA
MI East North Central 1.4% IN WV VA NC
NY Middle Atlantic PA 0.9% OH MD
MA
RI CT NJ DE DC
NE
AZ
NM
OK West South Central 2.6% TX
South Atlantic SC 1.3% GA
Horse owners, in contrast to dog, cat and bird owners, were less likely to consider their horses to be family members; one-third (38.4%) considered their horses to be family members (Table 1-20). More than half (56.5%) considered their horses to be a pet/companion, with an additional 5.1% considering them to be property. As seen with the other pets, the two outermost age groups had different views of their horses than other age groups. These two groups were more likely to consider their horses to be pets/companions or property versus those 1964 years old.
Table 1-20. How horse owners viewed their horses by age of horse owner, 2006 I consider my horse(s) to be a: Family member Pet/companion Property % % % 38.4 56.5 5.1 24.2 61.4 14.4 42.8 48.7 8.6 40.9 56.5 2.5 36.6 57.2 6.3 24.8 65.2 10.0
Age of horse owner All 18 19-29 30-49 50-64 65 or more
40
Overall, seven-out-of-ten (72.1%) of those with primary responsibility for horse care were female (Figure 1-20). This was evident in all but the 65-and-older age group. For respondents under 64, the female was the person with primary responsibility for care the majority of the time (< 18, 74.4%; 19-29, 85.6%; 30-49, 77.9%; 50-64, 65.8%). Of those 65 and older, the primary responsibility for horse care came from a male (61.0%).
Figure 1-20. Age and gender of person with primary responsibility for horse care, 2006
90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% All 18 19-29 30-49 50-64 65+
2 7 .9 % 2 5 .6 % 14 .4 % 2 2 .1% 3 9 .0 % 34 .2 % 72 .1% 74 .4 % 8 5 .6 % 7 7 .9 % 6 5 .8 % 6 1.0 %
Male Female
The mean number of horses per household was 3.5 in 2006, the highest it has been in the past two decades (Table 1-21). In 2006, 35.3% of households owned one horse, 24.4% owned two horses, 14.5% owned three horses, and 25.8% owned four or more horses.
Table 1-21. Percentage of households that owned horses by number owned, and mean number of horses, Dec. 31, 1987-2006 1987 % 44.3 27.2 10.7 17.8 2.6 1991 % 48.3 23.3 11.2 17.3 2.5 1996 % 39.6 26.6 11.4 22.5 2.7 2001 % 38.9 24.9 11.7 24.5 2.9 2006 % 35.3 24.4 14.5 25.8 3.5
Number of horses owned One Two Three Four or more Mean number of horses (#)
41
HORSE | Total Pet Ownership and Pet Population
In 2006, 36.4% of horses were under 6 years old, compared to 45.5% in 1987 (Figure 1-21). In 2006, 8.6% of horses were less than 1 year old, 27.8% were 1 to 5 years old, 29.7% were 6 to 10 years old, and 33.9% were 11 years or older. See Table 1-22 for trend information.
Figure 1-21. Percentage of households that owned horses by age of horse, Dec. 31, 1987 & 2006 (Note: Prior to 1996, the ranges were 1 year or less and 2 to 5 years)
40% 35% 30% 25% 20% 15% 10% 5% 0%

12 .6 % 8 .6 % 3 2 .9 % 2 9 .7% 2 7.8 % 2 7.0 % 2 7.5% 3 3 .9 %
1987 2006
Less than 1
1 to 5
6 to 10
11 or older
Table 1-22. Percentage of households that owned horses by age of horse, Dec. 31, 1987-2006 1987 % 12.6* 32.9* 27.0 27.5 1991 % 8.6* 26.5* 30.2 34.7 1996 % 12.2 29.0 26.9 31.0 2001 % 12.7 30.1 25.1 32.1 2006 % 8.6 27.8 29.7 33.9
Age of horse 1 year or less 2 to 5 years 6 to 10 years 11 years or more
42
The number of households that owned horses in each state was estimated by multiplying the percentage of horse owners by the total number of households in each state. The total horse population was estimated by multiplying the number of households in each state by the average number of horses per household in each state. Due to the low number of horse-owning households in each state, regional data is provided (Table 1-23). Overall, there were 2.1 million horse-owning households in 2006. The Pacific region had the most horse-owning households (350,000) and the highest mean number of horses per household (4.0), resulting in the region with the highest horse population (1.4 million). On the other hand, New England had the lowest number of horse-owning households (57,000), the lowest mean number of horses per household (2.7), and thus the lowest horse population (152,000). All but two regions experienced growth in the percentage of horse-owning households in the past five years (Table 1-24). The region that made the largest strides in growth was the East South Central (47.4%), followed by the West South Central (23.8%) region. The two regions that lost ground were the West North Central (-10.3%) and New England (-9.1%). There were 7.3 million pet horses in the U.S. at year-end 2006, up from 5.1 million in 2001.
43
HORSE | Total Pet Ownership and Pet Population Table 1-23. Percentage of households that owned horses, number of horse-owning households, mean number of horses per household and total horse population by region, Dec. 31, 2006 Number of HorseOwning Households (in 1,000) 2,087 57 136 253 217 290 202 333 253 350
Number of Households (in 1,000)* 115,509 5,684 15,705 18,468 8,204 22,658 7,215 12,667 8,028 16,880
Percentage of Horse Owners 1.8 1.0 0.9 1.4 2.6 1.3 2.8 2.6 3.2 2.1
Mean Number per Household 3.5 2.7 2.0 3.0 3.4 3.6 3.6 3.6 3.9 4.0
Horse Population (in 1,000) 7,295 152 277 771 745 1,055 736 1,186 990 1,412

Table 1-24. Trends in horse ownership by region, Dec. 31, 1996-2006 1996 Percentage of Households 1.5 0.8 0.6 1.3 2.1 1.2 2.1 2.3 2.8 1.7 Total Population (in 1,000) 3,992 95 216 555 379 606 406 615 445 676 2001 Percentage of Households 1.7 1.1 0.8 1.3 2.9 1.2 1.9 2.1 3.1 2.1 Total Population (in 1,000) 5,107 119 322 695 630 695 289 720 749 888 2006 Percentage of Households 1.8 1.0 0.9 1.4 2.6 1.3 2.8 2.6 3.2 2.1 Total Population (in 1,000) 7,295 152 277 771 745 1,055 736 1,186 990 1,412
44
Total Pet Ownership and Pet Population | SPECIALTY & EXOTIC
Chapter 7: Specialty and Exotic Pet Ownership

Specialty and exotic pets include fish, ferrets, rabbits, hamsters, guinea pigs, gerbils, other rodents, turtles, snakes, lizards, other reptiles, other birds (pigeons and poultry), livestock and all other types of specialty and exotic animals that are kept as pets. Pet fish were owned by 7.8% of households in 2006, an increase of 27.9% since 2001 (Table 1-25). The average number of fish per household was 8.4. The 2006 pet fish population of 75.9 million is 1.5 times higher than the 49.3 million reported five years ago (Table 1-27). In 2006, rabbits were owned by 1.6% of households, down 5.9% from 2001. The mean number of rabbits owned was 3.3. The rabbit population has increased 1.4 million in the past five years. Turtles were owned by 1.0% of households in 2006, up 66.7% in the past five years. The average number of turtles per household was 1.8 and the population was 2.0 million in 2006. Hamsters were owned by 0.7% of households in 2006, the same as in 2001. The mean number of hamsters per household was 1.5 and the population was 1.2 million in 2006. Livestock considered as pets were owned by 0.6% of households in 2006, up 50.0% in the past five years. The average number of livestock per household was 15.1, bringing into question whether these are indeed all pets. The pet livestock population was 11.0 million in 2006. Detailed information on specialty pets, including percentage of owners, number of households, mean per household, population and trend information is presented in Tables 1-26 and 1-27.
Table 1-25. Percentage of households that owned the 2006 top five specialty and exotic pets by type of pet, and mean number of specialty and exotic pets, Dec. 31, 1987-2006 1987 2.8 * 1.1 * 0.4 * 0.5 * 0.4 * 1991 2.8 9.1 1.0 3.2 0.4 1.9 0.5 1.4 0.5 7.1 1996 6.3 8.9 1.9 2.6 0.5 1.8 1.0 1.9 0.5 11.6 2001 6.1 7.7 1.7 2.7 0.6 1.7 0.7 1.2 0.4 5.6 2006 7.8 8.4 1.6 3.3 1.0 1.8 0.7 1.5 0.6 15.1 *Not available
Fish (%) Mean number of fish (#) Rabbits (%) Mean number of rabbits(#) Turtles (%) Mean number of turtles (#) Hamsters (%) Mean number of hamsters (#) Livestock (%) Mean number of livestock (#)
45
SPECAILTY & EXOTIC | Total Pet Ownership and Pet Population Table 1-26. Percentage of households, number of households, mean number per household and total population by type of specialty and exotic pet, Dec. 31, 2006 Number of Households (in 1,000) 9,036 505 1,870 826 628 187 452 1,106 390 719 69 464 728 1,182 Total Population (in 1,000) 75,898 1,060 6,171 1,239 1,004 431 949 1,991 586 1,078 199 4,966 10,995 3,664
Fish Ferrets Rabbits Hamsters Guinea Pigs Gerbils Other Rodents Turtles Snakes Lizards Other Reptiles Other Birds Livestock All Others
Percentage of Owners 7.8 0.4 1.6 0.7 0.5 0.2 0.4 1.0 0.3 0.6 0.1 0.4 0.6 1.0
Mean Number per Household 8.4 2.1 3.3 1.5 1.6 2.3 2.1 1.8 1.5 1.5 2.9 10.7 15.1 3.1
Table 1-27. Trends in specialty and exotic pet ownership, Dec. 31, 1996-2006 1996 Percentage of Households 6.3 0.4 1.9 1.0 0.6 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.2 0.5 0.3 0.3 0.5 0.4 Total Population (in 1,000) 55,554 791 4,940 1,876 1,091 764 1,053 950 900 705 924 4,423 6,083 1,225 2001 Percentage of Households 6.1 0.5 1.7 0.7 0.5 0.2 0.3 0.6 0.3 0.4 0.3 0.3 0.4 0.8 Total Population (in 1,000) 49,251 991 4,813 881 629 319 786 1,070 661 545 598 2,894 2,936 2,013 2006 Percentage of Households 7.8 0.4 1.6 0.7 0.5 0.2 0.4 1.0 0.3 0.6 0.1 0.4 0.6 1.0 Total Population (in 1,000) 75,898 1,060 6,171 1,239 1,004 431 949 1,991 586 1,078 199 4,966 10,995 3,664
Fish Ferrets Rabbits Hamsters Guinea Pigs Gerbils Other Rodents Turtles Snakes Lizards Other Reptiles Other Birds Livestock All Others
46
Total Pet Ownership and Pet Population | SUMMARY TABLE
Total Pet Ownership and Pet Population Summary Tables

Figure 1-22. Percentage of pet-owning households in the U.S., Dec. 31. 1987-2006
70% 65% 60% 55% 50% 45% 40%
38.2% 56.1% 57.4%
35% 30% 25% 20% 15% 10% 5% 0% 1987

5.7% 2.8% 30.5%
36.5% 30.9% 31.6% 27.3%
36.1% 31.6%
37.2% 32.4%
All Pets Dogs Cats 5.7% 2.0% Birds 4.6% 1.5% 4.6% 1.7% 3.9% 1.8% Horses
1991
1996
2001
2006
Table 1-28. Percentage of pet-owning households in the U.S., Dec. 31. 1987-2006 1987 % * 38.2 30.5 5.7 2.8 1991 % * 36.5 30.9 5.7 2.0 1996 % * 31.6 27.3 4.6 1.5 2001 % 56.1 36.1 31.6 4.6 1.7 2006 % 57.4 37.2 32.4 3.9 1.8 *Not Available
All Pets Dogs Cats Birds Horses
47
ALL PETS | Veterinary Medical Use and Expenditures
SECTION 2 Veterinary Medical Use and Expenditures

In previous editions of the U.S. Pet Ownership and Demographic Sourcebook, population, expenditure and service utilization calculations were all made using December 31 data. Beginning with this edition, the AVMA determined that pets owned anytime during the year would provide a more accurate calculation of spending and utilization since the services were provided to the larger population of animals owned at anytime, as opposed to just those owned at year's end. See Calculations in Appendix A for more details.
Chapter 1: All Pet-owning Households

Households were asked how many visits to the veterinarian they had in 2006 for each type of pet they owned. The All Pets category is a sum of the following pets owned per household: dogs, cats, birds, horses and specialty and exotic pets. In order to provide the most accurate information for visits and expenditures, livestock, poultry and fish were not included in the means for the All Pets category, due to the high number of these species per household compared to other pets. Overall, more than three-fourths (77.7%) of pet-owning households had at least one visit to the veterinarian in 2006 (Figure 2-1). Of pet-owning households, 19.2% had one visit, 20.4% had two visits, 11.1% had three visits, 27.0% had four or more visits, while 22.3% had no visits to the veterinarian in 2006.
Figure 2-1. Distribution of pet-owning households by number of veterinary visits, 2006
F o ur o r m o re 2 7 .0 %
N o v is it s 2 2 .3 %
T hre e 11.1% T wo 2 0 .4 %
O ne 19 .2 %
48
Veterinary Medical Use and Expenditures | ALL PETS
In 2006, households that owned pets visited the veterinarian an average of 2.8 times a year, with the mean visits per pet averaging 0.8 (Table 2-1). Total veterinary visits were calculated by multiplying the total number of pets owned at anytime during the year by mean number of visits per pet, with All Pets representing the sum of the individual types of pets. The total number of veterinary visits for all pet-owning households was 193 million in 2006. Dogs represented 61.9% of total veterinary visits; cats, 32.8%; birds, 0.7%; horses, 2.2%; and specialty and exotic pets, 2.4%. For more detailed information on veterinary visits and expenditures pertaining to each type of pet, please see individual chapters in this section.
Table 2-1. Mean veterinary visits and distribution of households by number of visits for all pets, dogs, cats, birds, horses and specialty and exotic pets, 2006 All Pets # 2.8 0.8 193.0 Dog # 2.6 1.5 119.4 Cat # 1.7 0.7 63.3 Bird # 0.3 0.1 1.3 Horse # 2.2 0.5 4.3 Specialty # 0.3 0.08 4.7
Visits to veterinarian Mean per household Mean per pet Total visits (in millions)
Slightly more than three-out-of-four (76.1%) pet-owning households had veterinary expenditures in 2006 (Figure 2-2). The dollar amount spent ranged considerably among pet-owning households with 27.0% spending less than $200, 27.2% spending between $200-$499, and 21.9% spending $500 or more in 2006. The remaining 23.9% of households did not have veterinary expenditures in 2006.
Figure 2-2. Distribution of pet-owning households by veterinary expenditures, 2006
$1,0 0 0 o r mo r e 9 .0 % N o ne 2 3 .9 % $50 0 t o $9 9 9 12 .9 %
Less t han $50 4 .1% $50 t o $9 9 8 .3 % $2 0 0 t o $4 9 9 2 7.2 % $10 0 t o $19 9 14 .6 %
49
ALL PETS | Veterinary Medical Use and Expenditures
The mean veterinary expenditure per household for all pets was $366 in 2006 (Table 2-2). The mean expenditure per visit for all pets was $130 and the mean per pet was $104. Total veterinary expenditures were calculated by multiplying the total number of veterinary visits by the mean expenditure per visit, with All Pets representing the sum of the individual species groups. Total veterinary expenditures for all household pets were estimated to be approximately $24.5 billion in 2006. Dogs represented 65.9% of total veterinary expenditures; cats, 29.0%; birds, 0.4%; horses, 2.9%; and specialty and exotic pets, 1.8%.
Table 2-2. Mean veterinary expenditures and distribution of households by expenditures for all pets, dogs, cats, birds, horses and specialty and exotic pets, 2006 All Pets $ 366 130 104 24.5 Dog $ 356 135 200 16.1 Cat $ 190 112 81 7.1 Bird $ 25 82 9 0.102 Horse $ 360 167 92 0.718 Specialty $ 25 93 7 0.435
Veterinary expenditures Mean per household Mean per visit Mean per pet Total expenditures (in billions)
50
Veterinary Medical Use and Expenditures | MULTIPLE PETS
Chapter 2: Multiple-Pet Households

To determine if there were any differences in veterinary visits among single-pet owners and multiple-pet owners by the bond they have with their pets, a subgroup of the pet households was examined. Since the majority of pet-owning households contained a dog, a cat or both, these pets were evaluated. In order to remove any factors that other pets in the household may have contributed to veterinary visits and veterinary expenditures, households that ONLY owned dogs, cats, or dogs and cats were examined for Table 2-3 and Table 2-4. Overall, households that considered their dogs, cats, or dogs and cats2 to be family members took their pets to the veterinarian more often than those who considered their pets to be pets/companions or property (Figure 2-3). For example, the mean number of veterinary visits for a household that considered their dogs to be family members was 3.3, compared to 2.3 visits for those that considered their dogs as pets/companions and 1.5 for those that considered their dogs property. Among households that considered their pets to be family members, dog-only households took their dog to the veterinarian more often (3.3) than cat-only households (2.3). While not as often as with single-species households, two-species households took their dogs (2.7) to the veterinarian more often than cats (1.7). Interestingly, dogs in two-species households were taken to the veterinarian more often (2.7) than cats in the cat-only (2.3) households.
Figure 2-3. Mean number of veterinary visits by human-animal bond for dog -only, cat-only, and dog- and cat-only households, 2006
3.5 3.0 2.5 2.0 1.5 1.0 0.5 0.0 Total Family member Pet/companion Property 0.7 0.7 0.4 2.8 2.3 3.3
2.7 2.3 1.9 1.7 1.5 2.3 1.9
1.6 1.3 1.5
Dog only Dog in dog- and cat-only households Cat only Cat in dog- and cat-only households
Dogs and cats only will be used interchangeably with two-species households throughout this chapter. 51
MULTIPLE PETS | Veterinary Medical Use and Expenditures Table 2-3. Distribution of households by number of veterinary visits and human-animal bond and mean number of veterinary visits for dog-only, cat-only, and dog- and cat-only households, 2006 Dog(s) and cat(s) only Dog(s) Cat(s) % %
Number of visits
Dog(s) only %
Cat(s) only %
No visits One Two Three Four or more Mean number of visits (#)
10.3 18.3 24.3 14.4 32.6 3.3
I consider my pet(s) to be a family member 25.1 16.1 24.7 23.1 20.5 23.3 9.5 12.6 20.2 24.9 2.3 2.7
33.6 27.9 18.2 7.9 12.4 1.7
16.2 24.9 25.7 12.3 20.9 2.3
I consider my pet(s) to be a pet/companion 34.3 23.9 27.3 27.2 19.2 21.8 7.6 12.8 11.6 14.3 1.6 1.9
45.3 26.5 15.1 5.0 8.1 1.3
40.8 20.9 18.2 8.6 11.5 1.5
I consider my pet(s) to be property 64.2 63.3 18.1 21.9 12.2 8.2 3.8 2.5 1.7 4.1 0.7 0.7
78.1 10.6 7.3 4.1 0.0 0.4
52
Veterinary Medical Use and Expenditures | MULTIPLE PETS
Not surprisingly, the pattern seen for dogs, cats and two-species households regarding veterinary visits is similar regarding veterinary expenditures (Table 2-4). Households that considered their dogs, cats, or dogs and cats to be family members had higher veterinary expenditures than those that considered their pets to be pets/companions or property (Figure 2-4). For example, among households that considered their pets to be family members, the mean veterinary expenditure per cat-only household was $132 more than veterinary expenditures for households that considered their cats to be pets/companions and $241 more than those that considered their cats to be property. Across all subgroups that considered their pets to be family members, veterinary expenditures per household were highest among dog-only households ($494), followed by dogs in two-species households ($363), cat-only households ($318) and finally cats in two-species households ($171).
Figure 2-4. Mean veterinary expenditures by human-animal bond for dog-only, cat-only, and dog- and cat-only households, 2006
$600
$500
$494
$400
$395 $363
$300
$300
$200
$318 $278 $233 $171 $186 $102 $187 $77 $42 $40
Cat in dog- and cat-only households Dog in dog- and cat-only households Cat only Dog only
$244
$100
$137
$0 Total Family member Pet/companion Property
53
MULTIPLE PETS | Veterinary Medical Use and Expenditures Table 2-4. Distribution of households by veterinary expenditures and human-animal bond and mean veterinary expenditures for dog-only, cat-only, and dog- and cat-only households, 2006 Dog(s) and cat(s) only Dog(s) Cat(s) % %
Expenditures
Dog(s) only %
Cat(s) only %
No expenditures Less than $50 $50 to $99 $100 to $199 $200 to $499 $500 to $999 $1,000 or more Mean per household ($)
13.0 3.5 7.1 15.2 32.3 16.0 12.9 494
I consider my pet(s) to be a family member 27.1 21.2 4.1 4.2 10.6 8.0 16.2 15.5 23.9 29.6 9.6 12.6 8.5 9.0 318 363
38.1 5.8 11.7 15.7 19.0 6.2 3.4 171
19.7 4.9 10.6 16.6 32.1 10.9 5.1 278
I consider my pet(s) to be a pet/companion 36.2 27.8 5.2 6.6 12.0 10.0 15.8 16.5 20.4 26.2 6.9 8.1 3.5 4.8 186 233
48.9 7.1 11.5 14.8 13.5 3.2 1.1 102
39.7 6.5 16.5 12.3 20.4 1.9 2.6 188
I consider my pet(s) to be property 65.0 70.3 5.2 5.6 3.5 11.2 8.4 5.7 14.5 4.6 3.4 2.5 0.0 0.0 77 42
80.3 3.7 4.8 6.2 2.4 2.6 0.0 40
54
Veterinary Medical Use and Expenditures | DOG
Chapter 3: Dog-owning Households

Among dog-owning households, 82.7% had at least one visit to the veterinarian in 2006, down 1.1% from 2001 (Table 2-5). Of dog-owning households, 22.9% had one visit, 23.5% had two visits, 12.2% had three visits, 24.1% had four or more visits and 17.3% had no visits to the veterinarian in 2006. On average, households that owned dogs saw the veterinarian 2.6 times in 2006, a 3.7% decrease since 2001. Each dog saw the veterinarian an average of 1.5 times a year, down 21.1% from 2001. Among all pets, dogs represented 61.9% of total veterinary visits in 2006.
Table 2-5. Distribution of dog-owning households by number of visits to the veterinarian and mean number of visits per household and per dog, 1987-2006 1987 % 22.4 23.3 22.2 11.1 21.0 2.4 1.5 1991 % 17.7 23.2 23.1 12.3 23.6 2.6 1.9 1996 % 14.7 24.0 24.6 12.4 24.3 2.6 1.8 2001 % 16.4 22.1 23.9 12.9 24.7 2.7 1.9 2006 % 17.3 22.9 23.5 12.2 24.1 2.6 1.5
Number of visits None One Two Three Four or more Mean per household (#) Mean per dog (#)
The total visits to the veterinarian were estimated by multiplying the number of visits per dog and the dog population during the year (79.6 million). In 2006, dogs had an estimated 119.4 million visits to the veterinarian, a marginal 2.1% increase from 2001 (Figure 2-5). However, since 1987, veterinary visits for dogs have increased 40.8 million, which is a 51.9% increase.
Figure 2-5. Total number of veterinary visits in millions for dog-owning households, 1987-2006
140
Number of visits (in millions)
120 100 80 60 40 20 0 1987 1991 1996 2001 2006 78.6 98.7 95.2 117.0 119.4
55
DOG | Veterinary Medical Use and Expenditures
The bond that owners had with their dogs impacted veterinary visits. In 2006, households that were more likely to view their dogs as family members had a higher average number of veterinary visits (3.0) compared to households that viewed their dogs as pets/companions (2.2) and property (1.1) (Figure 2-6).
Figure 2-6. Mean number of veterinary visits for dog-owning households by human-animal bond, 2006
Total
2.6
Family member
3.0
Pet/companion
2.2
Property
1.1
0.5
1.5
2.5
3.5
Of dog-owning households, 83.3% of White, 80.4% of Spanish/Hispanic, 72.4% of Black/African-American, and 84.4% of those grouped as Asian/Pacific Islander/American Indian/Aleut Eskimo had at least one veterinary visit in 2006 (Table 2-6). On average, households categorized as Asian/Pacific Islander/American Indian/Aleut Eskimo (3.0) took their dog to the veterinarian more often in 2006 compared to White (2.6), Spanish/Hispanic (2.6) and Black/African American (2.1) households.
Table 2-6. Percentage of dog-owning households by number of veterinary visits and race/ethnicity, 2006 Spanish/ Hispanic % 19.6 19.8 25.4 10.3 25.0 Black/ AfricanAmerican % 27.6 20.3 21.0 11.7 19.3 Asian/Pac. Isl./ Amer. Indian/Aleut Eskimo* % 15.6 21.7 24.7 9.7 28.3
Number of visits None One Two Three Four or more Mean per household (#)
White % 16.7 23.2 23.5 12.4 24.2
2.6 2.6 2.1 3.0 *Including: Asian, Pacific Islander, American Indian and Aleut Eskimo
56
In 2006, the average number of visits to a veterinarian decreased as the number of dogs in the household increased (Table 2-7). For example, households with one dog had more veterinary visits (2.1) compared to households with two (1.5) or three or more (1.3) dogs. Regardless of the number of dogs in the household, owners who considered their dogs to be family members took their dogs to the veterinarian more often than those who considered them to be pets/companions or property.
Table 2-7. Mean number of veterinary visits by human-animal bond for single and multiple dog-owning households per dog, 2006 I consider my dog(s) to be a: Family member Pet/companion Property # # # 2.4 1.9 0.9 1.7 1.3 0.5 1.5 1.1 0.8 *Mean number based on 3 dogs
Type of household One dog Two dogs Three or more dogs*
Total # 2.1 1.5 1.3
The mean veterinary expenditure per household was $356 in 2006, an increase of $95 per household since 2001, resulting in a 36.4% increase per household in veterinary expenditures in the past five years (6.4% compound annual rate) (Table 2-8). The mean expenditure per visit was $135, up $36 since 2001(36.4%, 6.4% compound annual rate). The mean expenditure per dog was $200 in 2006, compared to $179 in 2001, a difference of $21 (11.7%, 2.2% compound annual rate). Over this same period, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) increased by a compound annual rate of 2.6%. About two-out-of-ten (20.5%) households had expenditures of $500 or more in 2006, a 41.4% increase since 2001.
Table 2-8. Distribution of dog-owning households by veterinary expenditures and mean expenditure per household, per visit and per dog, 1987-2006 1987 % * * * * * * * 83 35 * 1991 % * * * * * * * 132 50 * 1996 % 17.4 11.4 17.9 21.5 23.4 6.1 2.2 187 74 129 2001 % 18.9 6.8 13.1 19.4 27.3 9.6 4.9 261 99 179 2006 % 20.9 4.5 8.9 15.8 29.4 12.1 8.4 356 135 200 *Not available
Expenditures No expenditures Less than $50 $50 to $99 $100 to $199 $200 to $499 $500 to $999 $1,000 or more Mean per household ($) Mean per visit ($) Mean per dog ($)
57
The total amount spent on veterinary services for dogs was calculated as the multiple of total veterinary visits for dogs (119.4 million) and mean expenditures per visit ($135). In 2006, total expenditures on veterinary visits for dogs were approximately $16.1 billion (Figure 2-7). This represented a 38.8% increase over 2001 expenditures (6.8% compound annual rate). Among all pets, dogs represented 65.9% of total veterinary expenditures in 2006. Trend information on visits and expenditures for dog-owning households is presented in Table 2-14 at the end of this chapter.
Figure 2-7. Total veterinary expenditures in billions for dog-owning households, 1991-2006
$20
Expenditures (in billions)
$18 $16 $14 $12 $10 $8 $6 $4 $2 $0 1991 1996 2001 2006 $4.9 $7.0 $11.6 $16.1
In 2006, dog-owning households that considered dogs to be family members spent 1.7 times more on veterinary expenditures ($441) per household than those that considered their dogs to be pets/companions ($261) and 3.4 times more than those that considered their dogs to be property ($128) (Table 2-9).
Table 2-9. Distribution of dog-owning households and mean veterinary expenditure per household by veterinary expenditures and human-animal bond, 2006 I consider my dog(s) to be a: Pet/companion % 24.1 5.3 10.5 16.6 28.7 9.7 5.0 261
Expenditures No expenditures Less than $50 $50 to $99 $100 to $199 $200 to $499 $500 to $999 $1,000 or more Mean per household ($)
Family member % 16.6 3.7 7.5 15.4 31.1 14.3 11.4 441
Property % 50.9 6.5 12.9 12.9 12.2 3.1 1.5 128
58
As household income increased, veterinary expenditures per dog-owning household increased in 2006 (Table 2-10). Expenditures were at higher levels for those who considered their dogs to be family members versus those who considered their dogs to be pets/companions. However, household income did not impact veterinary expenditures to the same degree for households that considered their dogs to be property. For example, respondents who considered their dogs to be property with incomes of $20,000 to $34,000 spent an average of $109 per household versus an average of $94 per household for those with household incomes of $55,000 to $84,999.
Table 2-10. Mean veterinary expenditure per dog-owning household by household income and human-animal bond, 2006 I consider my dog(s) to be a: Family member Pet/companion $ $ 255 153 320 199 390 227 504 265 672 385
Household income Less than $20,000 $20,000 to $34,999 $35,000 to $54,999 $55,000 to $84,999 $85,000 or more
Total $ 210 266 316 393 528
Property $ 72 109 215 94 113
The mean veterinary expenditure per dog-owning household in 2006 was highest for those grouped as Asian/Pacific Islander/American Indian/Aleut Eskimo ($398), followed by White ($361), Spanish/Hispanic ($352) and Black/African-American ($235) households (Table 2-11).
Table 2-11. Percentage of dog-owning households by veterinary expenditures and race/ethnicity, 2006 Spanish/ Hispanic % 22.3 5.1 10.0 15.6 26.8 11.3 8.8 Black/ AfricanAmerican % 30.9 6.2 9.7 14.4 25.4 9.8 3.6 Asian/Pac. Isl./ Amer. Indian/Aleut Eskimo* % 20.1 4.2 7.3 17.2 29.6 11.6 9.9
White % 20.4 4.4 8.8 15.9 29.7 12.3 8.6
361 352 235 398 *Including: Asian, Pacific Islander, American Indian and Aleut Eskimo
59
Veterinary expenditures per dog were impacted by the number of dogs in the household (Table 2-12). As the number of dogs per household increased, the veterinary expenditures per dog decreased in 2006. However, owners who considered their dogs to be family members spent more per dog then those who considered them to be pets/companions or property, even among multiple-dog households.
Table 2-12. Mean veterinary expenditures by human-animal bond for single and multiple dog-owning households per dog, 2006 I consider my dog(s) to be a: Family member Pet/companion Property $ $ $ 336 211 93 260 155 34 225 138 131 *Mean number based on 3 dogs
Type of household One dog Two dogs Three or more dogs*
Total $ 276 210 188
During any single visit to the veterinarian, a variety of services and products can be purchased. The top three products or services purchased at the most recent veterinary visit among dogowning households in 2006 were physical exams (70.2%), vaccinations (64.4%) and drugs or medications (26.1%) (Figure 2-8). While physical exams and vaccinations were at similar rates as in 2001, drugs and medications have dropped somewhat, resulting in a 16.6% decrease in the last five years. This decrease is likely due to the growth of Internet veterinary drug companies. Trend information on all products or services purchased at the most recent veterinary visit among dog-owning households is presented in Table 2-15 at the end of this chapter.
Figure 2-8. Top three services and products of 2006 purchased at the most recent veterinary visit by dog-owning households, 1987-2006
80% 70%
6 6 .0 % 6 6 .6 % 6 2 .0 % 5 3 .5 % 6 2 .8 % 6 1.0 % 6 9 .4 % 6 3 .8 % 7 0 .2 % 6 4 .4 %
60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% 1987

4 2 .4 %
3 2 .6 %
2 9 .4 %
3 1.3 % 2 6 .1%
Physical exams Vaccinations Drugs or medications 1991 1996 2001 2006
60
Approximately eight-out-of-ten (81.8%) dog-owning households considered the veterinarian they last visited to be their regular veterinarian, down slightly (0.4%) from 2001 (Figure 2-9). Other main factors involved in the decision process were location (36.1%), fees (17.6%), hours (15.4%) and recommendation (11.0%) (Table 2-13). Among those with no regular veterinarian, the main reasons given for choosing the veterinarian they last visited were location (38.1%), fees (21.6%), recommendation (20.2%), and hours (15.0%). Trend information on reasons for choosing a veterinarian is available in Table 2-16 at the end of the chapter.
Figure 2-9. Percentage of dog-owning households with a regular veterinarian, 1996-2006
100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% 1996 2001 2006 78.7% 82.2% 81.8%
Table 2-13. Percentage of dog-owning households that chose the veterinarian they used for the most recent visit by reason for selecting the veterinarian, 2006 Percentage* of veterinary users that selected their veterinarian based on each reason Percentage* of veterinary users that selected a non regular veterinarian based on each reason
Reason for selecting veterinarian they last visited % % Regular veterinarian 81.8 N/A Location 36.1 38.1 Fees 17.6 21.6 Hours 15.4 15.0 Recommendation 11.0 20.2 Specialist 2.7 5.3 Yellow page listing 1.3 3.1 Advertising 1.1 3.0 Saw outdoor sign 1.1 2.3 Internet Web site 0.2 0.2 None of the above 5.8 31.9 * Percentages will not sum to 100% because respondents could indicate multiple reasons
61
DOG | Veterinary Medical Use and Expenditures Table 2-14. Veterinary visits and expenditures by dog-owning households, 1996-2006 1996 # 2.6 1.8 95.2 2001 # 2.7 1.9 117.0 2006 # 2.6 1.5 119.4
Visits to the veterinarian Mean per household Mean per dog Total visits (in millions) Percentage of households by number of visits None One Two Three Four or more Veterinarian expenditures (in dollars) Mean per household Mean per visit Mean per dog Total expenditures (in billions) Percentage of households by level of expenditures No expenditures Less than $50 $50 to $99 $100 to $199 $200 to $499 $500 to $999 $1,000 or more
% 14.7 24.0 24.6 12.4 24.3 $ 187 74 129 7.0
% 16.4 22.1 23.9 12.9 24.7 $ 261 99 179 11.6
% 17.3 22.9 23.5 12.2 24.1 $ 356 135 200 16.1
% 17.4 11.4 17.9 21.5 23.4 6.1 2.2
% 18.9 6.8 13.1 19.4 27.3 9.6 4.9
% 20.9 4.5 8.9 15.8 29.4 12.1 8.4
62
Veterinary Medical Use and Expenditures | DOG Table 2-15. Distribution of services and products purchased during the most recent veterinary visit by dog-owning households, 1996-2006 1996 % 61.0 62.8 29.4 15.9 16.7 11.5 8.8 7.6 6.7 4.4 3.4 4.2 3.7 2.9 3.3 * * 0.4 2001 % 69.4 63.8 31.3 18.6 19.8 10.5 8.2 6.1 7.5 5.8 3.8 4.3 3.7 2.4 2.6 0.6 0.4 0.3 2006 % 70.2 64.4 26.1 19.9 18.9 11.0 7.3 7.3 6.6 5.6 4.8 4.3 4.1 4.0 2.4 1.3 0.6 0.4
Physical exams Vaccinations Drugs or medications Laboratory tests Flea or tick products Emergency care Deworming Spay/neuter Grooming/boarding Dental care X-rays Other surgery Food Euthanasia Hospitalization Microchip/tattoo Alternative therapies Behavior counseling
*Not available
63
DOG | Veterinary Medical Use and Expenditures Table 2-16. Reason for choosing the veterinarian seen at the most recent veterinary visit by dog-owning households, 1996-2006 1996 % 78.7 35.8 18.5 17.0 11.9 * 1.7 1.6 1.4 * 3.2 % 33.3 20.7 19.1 12.7 * 4.5 4.9 2.8 * 12.7 2001 % 82.2 34.2 16.0 15.3 10.1 2.5 1.2 1.0 1.2 0.2 2.7 % 34.1 15.5 8.3 15.8 2.0 0.7 0.5 0.8 0.1 0.3 2006 % 81.8 36.1 17.6 15.4 11.0 2.7 1.3 1.1 1.1 0.2 5.8 % 38.1 21.6 20.2 15.0 5.3 3.1 3.0 2.3 0.2 31.9
Regular veterinarian Location Fees Hours Recommendation Specialist Yellow page listing Advertising Saw outdoor sign Internet Web site None of the above Households with no regular veterinarian Location Fees Recommendation Hours Specialist Yellow page listing Advertising Saw outdoor sign Internet Web site None of the above
*Not available
64
Veterinary Medical Use and Expenditures | CAT
Chapter 4: Cat-owning Households

Among cat-owning households, 63.7% had at least one visit to the veterinarian in 2006, down 2.5% in the past five years (Table 2-17). Of cat-owning households, 26.3% had one visit, 17.5% had two visits, 7.1% had three visits, 12.8% had four or more visits and 36.3% had no visits to the veterinarian in 2006. On average, households that owned cats saw the veterinarian 1.7 times in 2006, a 5.6% decrease since 2001. Each cat saw the veterinarian an average of 0.7 times a year, down 30.0% from 2001. Among all pets, cats represented 32.8% of total veterinary visits in 2006.
Table 2-17. Distribution of cat-owning households by number of visits to the veterinarian and mean number of visits per household and per cat, 1987-2006 1987 % 40.6 22.5 16.2 7.5 13.3 1.6 0.8 1991 % 37.6 23.1 17.5 7.6 14.2 1.8 0.9 1996 % 32.3 26.1 18.3 8.7 14.7 1.9 1.0 2001 % 34.7 24.7 18.2 8.0 14.4 1.8 1.0 2006 % 36.3 26.3 17.5 7.1 12.8 1.7 0.7
Number of visits None One Two Three Four or more Mean per household (#) Mean per cat (#)
The total visits to the veterinarian were estimated by multiplying the number of visits per cat and the total cat population during the year (90.5 million). In 2006, cats had an estimated 63.3 million visits to the veterinarian, a 10.6% decline from 2001 (Figure 2-10). However, veterinary visits for cats in 2006 were 20.2 million higher than in 1987, a 46.9% increase.
Figure 2-10. Total number of veterinary visits in millions for cat-owning households, 1987-2006
100
N umber of visits (in million s)
80 60 59.7 40 43.1 20 0 1987 1991 1996 2001 2006 50.2 70.8 63.3
65
CAT | Veterinary Medical Use and Expenditures
The bond that the owner had with their cat impacted veterinary visits. Households that were more likely to view their cats as family members had a higher average number of veterinary visits (2.0) compared to households that viewed their cats as pets/companions (1.4) and property (0.7) (Figure 2-11).
Figure 2-11. Mean number of veterinary visits for cat-owning households by human-animal bond, 2006
Total
1.7
Family member
2.0
Pet/companion
1.4
Property
0.7
0.5
1.5
2.5
Of cat-owning households, 63.8% of White, 64.7% of Spanish/Hispanic, 59.7% of Black/AfricanAmerican and 65.0% of those grouped as Asian/Pacific Islander/American Indian/Aleut Eskimo had at least one veterinary visit in 2006 (Table 2-18). On average, households categorized as Asian/Pacific Islander/American Indian/Aleut Eskimo (2.1) took their cat to the veterinarian more often in 2006 compared to White (1.7), Spanish/Hispanic (1.7) and Black/African American (1.5) households.
Table 2-18. Percentage of cat-owning households by number of veterinary visits and race/ethnicity, 2006 Spanish/ Hispanic % 35.3 27.7 15.9 8.4 12.6 Black/ AfricanAmerican % 40.3 26.6 15.3 7.9 9.8 Asian/Pac. Isl./ Amer. Indian/Aleut Eskimo* % 35.0 27.8 19.8 7.3 10.1
White % 36.2 26.3 17.5 7.1 13.0
66
In 2006, the average number of visits to a veterinarian decreased as the number of cats in the household increased (Table 2-19). For example, households with one cat (1.1) visited the veterinarian more than households with two (0.9) or three or more (0.9) cats. Regardless of the number of cats in the household, owners who considered their cats to be family members took their cats to the veterinarian more often than those that considered them to be pets/companions or property.
Table 2-19. Mean number of veterinary visits by human-animal bond for single and multiple cat-owning households per cat, 2006 I consider my cat(s) to be a: Family member Pet/companion Property # # # 1.3 1.0 0.5 1.0 0.8 0.4 1.1 0.7 0.3 *Mean number based on 3 cats
Type of household One cat Two cats Three or more cats*
Total # 1.1 0.9 0.9
The mean veterinary expenditure per household for cats was $190 in 2006, resulting in a 18.8% increase per household in veterinary expenditures since 2001 (3.5% compound annual rate) (Table 2-20). The mean expenditure per visit was $112, up $19 since 2001 (20.4%, 3.8% compound annual rate). The mean expenditure per cat was $81 in 2006, a slight decrease from $85 five years ago (-4.7%, -1.0% compound annual rate). Over this same period, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) increased by a compound annual rate of 2.6%. One-out-of-ten (10.1%) households had expenditures of $500 or more in 2006, a 32.9% increase since 2001.
Table 2-20. Distribution of cat-owning households by veterinary expenditures and mean expenditure per household, per visit and per cat, 1987-2006 1987 % * * * * * * * 54 34 * 1991 % * * * * * * * 80 45 * 1996 % 33.2 13.4 17.9 17.2 14.4 2.9 1.1 147 67 81 2001 % 37.0 8.8 14.7 15.7 16.3 5.2 2.4 160 93 85 2006 % 39.2 5.4 10.9 15.3 19.1 6.2 3.9 190 112 81 *Not available
Expenditures No expenditures Less than $50 $50 to $99 $100 to $199 $200 to $499 $500 to $999 $1,000 or more Mean per household ($) Mean per visit ($) Mean per cat ($)
67
The total amount spent on veterinary services for cats was calculated as the multiple of total veterinary visits for cats (63.3 million) and mean expenditure per visit ($112.2). In 2006, total expenditures on veterinary visits for cats were approximately $7.1 billion (Figure 2-12). This represents a 7.6% increase over 2001 expenditures (1.5% compound annual rate). Among all pets, cats represented 29.0% of total veterinary expenditures in 2006. Trend information on visits and expenditures for cat-owning households is presented in Table 2-26 at the end of this chapter.
Figure 2-12. Total veterinary expenditures in billions for cat-owning households, 1991-2006
$14
Expen ditu res (in billion s)
$12 $10 $8 $6 $4 $2 $0 $2.0 1991 1996 2001 2006 $4.0 $6.6 $7.1
In 2006, cat-owning households that considered cats to be family members spent 1.6 times more on veterinary expenditures ($237) per household than those that considered their cats to be pets/companions ($148) and 3.3 times more than those that considered cats to be property ($72) (Table 2-21).
Table 2-21. Distribution of cat-owning households and mean veterinary expenditure per household by veterinary expenditures and human-animal bond, 2006 I consider my cat(s) to be a: Pet/companion % 42.4 5.8 11.5 15.1 17.4 5.4 2.4 148
Family member % 33.9 4.8 10.7 16.1 21.6 7.4 5.5 237
Property % 71.0 4.2 5.4 6.7 8.7 3.0 1.0 72
68
As household income increased, veterinary expenditures per cat-owning household increased in 2006 (Table 2-22). Expenditures were at higher levels for those who considered their cats to be family members versus those who considered their cats to be pets/companions. However, household income did not impact veterinary expenditures to the same degree for households that considered their cats to be property. For this group, expenditures per cat fluctuated somewhat as income increased.
Table 2-22. Mean veterinary expenditure per cat-owning household by household income and human-animal bond, 2006 I consider my cat(s) to be a: Family member Pet/companion $ $ 138 95 185 113 219 127 258 167 389 210
Total $ 117 153 169 210 283
Property $ 44 34 92 65 128
The mean veterinary expenditure per cat-owning household in 2006 was highest for those grouped as Asian/Pacific Islander/American Indian/Aleut Eskimo ($228), followed by White ($192), Spanish/Hispanic ($176) and Black/African-American ($133) households (Table 2-23).
Table 2-23. Percentage of cat-owning households by veterinary expenditures and race/ethnicity, 2006 Spanish/ Hispanic % 40.0 5.5 13.5 14.2 16.2 7.2 3.4 Black/ AfricanAmerican % 45.4 5.8 10.0 13.5 18.4 5.1 1.8 Asian/Pac. Isl./ Amer. Indian/Aleut Eskimo* % 39.1 4.3 12.6 10.2 18.9 9.8 5.2
White % 39.0 5.4 10.8 15.4 19.3 6.2 3.9
69
Veterinary expenditures per cat were impacted by the number of cats in the household (Table 2-24). As the number of cats per household increased, the veterinary expenditures per cat decreased in 2006. However, owners who considered their cats to be family members spent more per cat than those who considered them to be pets/companions or property, even among multiple cat households.
Table 2-24. Mean veterinary expenditure by human-animal bond for single and multiple cat-owning households per cat, 2006 I consider my cat(s) to be a: Family member Pet/companion Property $ $ $ 139 96 57 125 91 49 124 72 26 *Mean number based on 3 cats
Type of household One cat Two cats Three or more cats*
Total $ 114 108 99
During any single visit to the veterinarian, a variety of services and products can be purchased. The top three products or services purchased at the most recent veterinary visit among cat-owning households were physical exams (71.3%), vaccinations (63.7%) and drugs or medications (17.4%) (Figure 2-13). While those seeking physical exams on the most recent veterinarian visit increased 5.9% in the past five years, those seeking vaccinations dropped by 9.6% in the same time period. The percentage of cat-owning households seeking drugs or medications was 3.3% lower than in 2001. Trend information on all products or services purchased at the most recent veterinary visit among cat-owning households is presented in Table 2-27 at the end of this chapter.
Figure 2-13. Top three services and products of 2006 purchased at the most recent veterinary visit by cat-owning households, 1987-2006
80% 70%
6 4 .4 % 6 1.9 % 5 9 .6 % 7 0 .5 % 6 7 .3 % 7 1.3 % 6 3 .7 %
60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0%
6 0 .9 % 5 8 .6 % 4 9 .8 %
3 2 .5 % 2 2 .8 % 18 .8 % 18 .0 % 17 .4 %
Physical exams Vaccinations Drugs or medications
1987
1991
1996
2001
2006
70
More than three-fourths (77.3%) of cat-owning households considered the veterinarian they last visited to be their regular veterinarian, an increase of 2.1% from 2001 (Figure 2-14). Other main factors involved in the decision process were location (38.3%), fees (18.1%), hours (15.9%) and recommendation (11.7%) (Table 2-25). Among those with no regular veterinarian, the main reasons given for choosing the veterinarian they last visited were location (38.0%), fees (23.1%), recommendation (19.0%) and hours (12.6%). Trend information on reasons for choosing a veterinarian is available in Table 2-28 at the end of the chapter.
Figure 2-14. Percentage of cat-owning households with a regular veterinarian, 1996-2006
100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% 1996 2001 2006 73.7% 75.7% 77.3%
Table 2-25. Percentage of cat-owning households that chose the veterinarian they used for the most recent visit by reason for selecting the veterinarian, 2006 Percentage* of veterinary users that selected their veterinarian based on each reason Percentage* of veterinary users that selected a non regular veterinarian based on each reason
Reason for selecting veterinarian they last visited % % Regular veterinarian 77.3 N/A Location 38.3 38.0 Fees 18.1 23.1 Hours 15.9 12.6 Recommendation 11.7 19.0 Specialist 2.9 4.2 Yellow page listing 1.4 3.9 Advertising 1.3 3.3 Saw outdoor sign 1.2 1.9 Internet Web site 0.4 0.6 None of the above 7.8 34.2 * Percentages will not sum to 100% because respondents could indicate multiple reasons
71
CAT | Veterinary Medical Use and Expenditures Table 2-26. Veterinary visits and expenditures by cat-owning households, 1996-2006 1996 # 1.6 0.9 59.7 2001 # 1.8 1.0 70.8 2006 # 1.7 0.7 63.3
Visits to the veterinarian Mean per household Mean per cat Total visits (in millions) Percentage of households by number of visits None One Two Three Four or more Veterinarian expenditures (in dollars) Mean per household Mean per visit Mean per cat Total expenditures (in billions) Percentage of households by level of expenditures No expenditures Less than $50 $50 to $99 $100 to $199 $200 to $499 $500 to $999 $1,000 or more
% 32.3 26.1 18.3 8.7 14.7 $ 147 67 81 4.0
% 34.7 24.7 18.2 8.0 14.4 $ 160 93 85 6.6
% 36.3 26.3 17.5 7.1 12.8 $ 190 112 81 7.1
% 33.2 13.4 17.9 17.2 14.4 2.9 1.1
% 37.0 8.8 14.7 15.7 16.3 5.2 2.4
% 39.2 5.4 10.9 15.3 19.1 6.2 3.9
72
Veterinary Medical Use and Expenditures | CAT Table 2-27. Distribution of services and products purchased during the most recent veterinary visit by cat-owning households, 1996-2006 1996 % 59.6 61.9 18.8 12.5 12.4 14.0 11.8 7.3 5.2 4.7 5.4 3.1 2.9 4.2 3.2 * 0.5 * 2001 % 67.3 70.5 18.0 13.5 15.5 13.8 9.4 8.0 4.3 3.5 4.3 2.6 2.9 3.6 2.7 0.3 0.3 0.2 2006 % 71.3 63.7 17.4 17.0 14.0 14.0 11.2 6.9 6.2 4.7 4.7 4.5 3.9 3.4 3.3 0.7 0.6 0.3
Physical exams Vaccinations Drugs or medications Laboratory tests Flea or tick products Spay/neuter Emergency care Deworming Food Dental care Other surgery Euthanasia X-rays Hospitalization Grooming/boarding Microchip/tattoo Behavior counseling Alternative therapies
*Not available
73
CAT | Veterinary Medical Use and Expenditures Table 2-28. Reason for choosing the veterinarian seen at the most recent veterinary visit by cat-owning households, 1996-2006 1996 % 73.7 36.5 19.7 17.6 12.9 * 2.2 1.9 1.5 * 3.4 % 30.5 20.2 18.6 11.6 * 4.9 4.4 2.3 * 11.1 2001 % 75.7 34.9 16.8 15.6 10.4 2.8 1.8 1.1 1.3 0.1 2.5 % 36.8 16.5 8.6 17.2 2.5 1.0 0.6 1.1 0.1 0.3 2006 % 77.3 38.3 18.1 15.9 11.7 2.9 1.4 1.3 1.2 0.4 7.8 % 38.0 23.1 19.0 12.6 4.2 3.9 3.3 1.9 0.6 34.2
*Not available
74
Veterinary Medical Use and Expenditures | BIRD
Chapter 5: Bird-owning Households

Among bird-owning households, 13.9% had at least one visit to the veterinarian in 2006, an increase of 18.8% since 2001 (Table 2-29). Of bird-owning households, 7.6% had one visit, 2.7% had two visits, 1.4% had three visits, 2.2% had four or more visits and 86.1% had no visits to the veterinarian in 2006. On average, households that owned birds saw the veterinarian 0.3 times in 2006, which was the same as in 2001. Each bird saw the veterinarian an average of 0.1 times a year, down 50.0% from 2001. Among all pets, birds represented 0.7% of total veterinary visits in 2006.
Table 2-29. Distribution of bird-owning households by number of visits to the veterinarian and mean number of visits per household and per bird, 1991-2006 Number of visits None One Two Three Four or more Mean per household (#) Mean per bird (#) 1991 % 89.4 6.3 2.4 0.5 1.2 0.2 0.1 1996 % 89.2 5.8 2.6 0.8 1.7 0.2 0.1 2001 % 88.3 6.2 2.6 1.1 1.8 0.3 0.2 2006 % 86.1 7.6 2.7 1.4 2.2 0.3 0.1
The total visits to the veterinarian were estimated by multiplying the number of visits per bird and the total bird population during the year (12.6 million). In 2006, birds had an estimated 1.3 million visits to the veterinarian, a 35.0% decrease from 2001 (Figure 2-15). After peaking in 2001 (2.0 million), veterinary visits for bird-owning households has dropped to close to where it was in 1991 (1.2 million).
Figure 2-15. Total number of veterinary visits in millions for bird-owning households, 1991-2006
5.0
N umber of visits (in million s)
4.0 3.0 2.0 2.0 1.0 0.0 1991 1996 2001 2006 1.6 1.2 1.3
75
BIRD | Veterinary Medical Use and Expenditures
The bond that owners had with their birds impacted veterinary visits in 2006. Households that were more likely to view their birds as family members had a higher average number of veterinary visits (0.4) compared to households that viewed their birds as pets/companions (0.2) and property (0.1) (Figure 2-16).
Figure 2-16. Mean number of veterinary visits for bird-owning households by humananimal bond, 2006
Total
0.3
Family member
0.4
Pet/companion
0.2
Property
0.1
0.0
0.2
0.3
0.5
0.6
0.8
0.9
Of bird-owning households, 13.3% of White, 12.9% of Spanish/Hispanic, 22.6% of Black/African-American and 22.8% of those Asian/Pacific Islander/American Indian/Aleut Eskimo had at least one veterinary visit in 2006 (Table 2-30). On average, households categorized as Asian/Pacific Islander/American Indian/Aleut Eskimo (0.5) took their bird to the veterinarian slightly more often in 2006 compared to Black/African American (0.4), White (0.3) and Spanish/Hispanic (0.2) households.
Table 2-30. Percentage of bird-owning households by number of veterinary visits and race/ethnicity, 2006 Spanish/ Hispanic % 87.1 7.4 2.4 3.1 0.0 Black/ AfricanAmerican % 77.4 12.1 8.6 1.9 0.0 Asian/Pac. Isl./ Amer. Indian/Aleut Eskimo* % 77.2 15.9 0.0 3.4 3.4
White % 86.7 7.2 2.5 1.2 2.4
76
The mean veterinary expenditure per household for birds was $25 in 2006, resulting in a 38.9% increase per household in veterinary expenditures since 2001 (6.8% compound annual rate) (Table 2-31). The mean expenditure per visit was $82, up 22.4% since 2001 (4.1% compound annual rate). The mean expenditure per bird remained the same from 2001 to 2006 at $9. Over this period, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) increased by a compound annual rate of 2.6%. Veterinary expenditures of $200 or more impacted 4.7% of bird-owning households in 2006, a 95.8% increase since 2001.
Table 2-31. Distribution of bird-owning households by veterinary expenditures, mean expenditures per household, per visit and per bird, 1987-2006 1987 % * * * * * * * 5 30 * 1991 % * * * * * * * 8 34 * 1996 % 89.5 3.8 3.1 2.0 1.3 0.2 0.1 11 56 6 2001 % 88.6 3.8 2.8 2.4 1.6 0.6 0.2 18 67 9 2006 % 87.6 2.7 2.4 2.6 3.5 0.9 0.3 25 82 9 *Not available
Expenditures No expenditures Less than $50 $50 to $99 $100 to $199 $200 to $499 $500 to $999 $1,000 or more Mean per household ($) Mean per visit ($) Mean per bird ($)
77
The total amount spent on veterinary services for birds was calculated as the multiple of total veterinary visits for birds (1.258 million) and mean expenditures per visit ($81.7). In 2006, total expenditures on veterinary visits for birds were approximately $102.8 million (Figure 2-17). This represents a 24.4% decrease from 2001 expenditures (-5.4% compound annual rate). Among all pets, birds represented 0.4% of total veterinary expenditures in 2006. Trend information on visits and expenditures for bird-owning households is presented in Table 2-36 at the end of this chapter.
Figure 2-17. Total veterinary expenditures in millions for bird-owning households, 1991-2006
$800
Exp end itures (in millions)
$700 $600 $500 $400 $300 $200 $100 $0 1991 1996 2001 2006 $37.7 $91.2 $135.9 $102.8
In 2006, bird-owning households that considered birds to be family members spent 1.8 times more on veterinary expenditures ($31) per household than those that considered their birds to be pets/companions ($17) and 4.4 times more than those that considered their birds to be property ($7) (Table 2-32).
Table 2-32. Distribution of bird-owning households and mean veterinary expenditures per household by veterinary expenditures and human animal bond, 2006 I consider my bird(s) to be a: Pet/companion % 90.3 2.5 1.7 2.3 2.6 0.4 0.3 17
Family member % 85.6 2.8 2.5 2.9 4.6 1.5 0.2 31
Property % 93.3 0.0 3.7 3.1 0.0 0.0 0.0 7
78
As household income increased, veterinary expenditures per bird-owning household increased (Table 2-33). Expenditures were at higher levels for those who considered their birds to be family members versus those who considered their birds to be pets/companions for all but the less than $20,000 income range.
Table 2-33. Mean veterinary expenditure per bird-owning household by household income and human-animal bond, 2006 I consider my bird(s) to be a: Family member Pet/companion Property $ $ $ 6 10 n 18 12 n 36 10 n 53 27 n 49 27 n n=Insufficient number of useable responses
Total $ 9 15 25 38 41
The mean veterinary expenditure per bird-owning household in 2006 was highest for those grouped as Asian/Pacific Islander/American Indian/Aleut Eskimo ($38), followed by Black/African-American ($32), White ($25) and Spanish/Hispanic ($18) households (Table 2-34).
Table 2-34. Percentage of bird-owning households by veterinary expenditures and race/ethnicity, 2006 Spanish/ Hispanic % 85.9 4.0 3.7 0.0 6.5 0.0 0.0 Black/ AfricanAmerican % 85.4 0.0 0.0 7.7 5.0 1.8 0.0 Asian/Pac. Isl./ Amer. Indian/Aleut Eskimo* % 75.6 5.5 2.2 2.0 14.7 0.0 0.0
White % 88.2 2.6 2.4 2.4 3.1 1.0 0.3
79
During any single visit to the veterinarian, a variety of services and products can be purchased. Among bird-owning households, the top three services and products obtained on their most recent veterinary visit were physical exams (68.2%), laboratory tests (21.8%) and emergency care (21.1%) (Figure 2-18). Physical exams have increased 7.1% since 2001. Trend information on all products or services purchased at the most recent veterinary visit among bird-owning households is presented in Table 2-37 at the end of this chapter.
Figure 2-18. Top three services and products of 2006 purchased at the most recent veterinary visit by bird-owning households, 1987-2006
80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% 1987 1991 1996 2001 2006
14 .7 % 10 .8 % 3 2 .4 % 2 2 .7 % 10 .8 % 2 1.8 % 18 .2 % 14 .4 % 18 .5 % 2 1.8 % 2 1.1% 4 4 .2 % 4 0 .4 % 6 3 .7 % 6 8 .2 %
Physical exams Laboratory tests Emergency care
80
About four-out-of-ten (42.5%) bird-owning households considered the veterinarian they last visited to be their regular veterinarian, a decline of 18.3% since 2001 (Figure 2-19). Other main factors involved in the decision process were specialist (26.7%), location (17.4%) and recommendation (10.7%) (Table 2-35). Among those with no regular veterinarian, the main reasons given for choosing the veterinarian they last visited were specialist (22.5%), recommendation (12.8%) and location (12.2%). Trend information on reasons for choosing a veterinarian is available in Table 2-38 at the end of the chapter.
Figure 2-19. Percentage of bird-owning households with a regular veterinarian, 1996-2006
100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% 1996 2001 2006 42.8% 52.0% 42.5%
Table 2-35. Percentage of bird-owning households that chose the veterinarian they used for the most recent visit by reason for selecting the veterinarian, 2006 Percentage* of veterinary users that selected their veterinarian based on each reason Percentage* of veterinary users that selected a non regular veterinarian based on each reason
Reason for selecting veterinarian they last visited % % Regular veterinarian 42.5 N/A Specialist 26.7 22.5 Location 17.4 12.2 Recommendation 10.7 12.8 Hours 7.2 3.2 Fees 6.7 3.2 Yellow page listing 3.4 4.9 Advertising 0.8 1.4 Saw outdoor sign 0.5 0.5 Internet Web site 0.0 0.0 None of the above 33.8 58.8 * Percentages will not sum to 100% because respondents could indicate multiple reasons
81
BIRD | Veterinary Medical Use and Expenditures Table 2-36. Veterinary visits and expenditures by bird-owning households, 1996-2006 1996 # 0.2 0.1 1.6 2001 # 0.3 0.2 2.0 2006 # 0.3 0.1 1.3
Visits to the veterinarian Mean per household Mean per bird Total visits (in millions) Percentage of households by number of visits None One Two Three Four or more Veterinarian expenditures (in dollars) Mean per household Mean per visit Mean per bird Total expenditures (in millions) Percentage of households by level of expenditures No expenditures Less than $50 $50 to $99 $100 to $199 $200 to $499 $500 to $999 $1,000 or more
% 89.2 5.8 2.6 0.8 1.7 $ 11 56 6 91.2
% 88.3 6.2 2.6 1.1 1.8 $ 18 67 9 135.9
% 86.1 7.6 2.7 1.4 2.2 $ 25 82 9 102.8
% 89.5 3.8 3.1 2.0 1.3 0.2 0.1
% 88.6 3.8 2.8 2.4 1.6 0.6 0.2
% 87.6 2.7 2.4 2.6 3.5 0.9 0.3
82
Veterinary Medical Use and Expenditures | BIRD Table 2-37. Distribution of services and products purchased during the most recent veterinary visit by bird-owning households, 1996-2006 1996 % 44.2 14.4 18.2 10.0 15.9 2.7 5.2 2.1 2.5 0.2 1.8 1.6 0.9 1.4 0.0 * * 0.2 2001 % 63.7 21.8 18.5 15.3 9.7 12.1 4.0 4.0 3.2 2.4 0.0 3.2 0.0 2.4 0.8 1.6 0.0 0.8 2006 % 68.2 21.8 21.1 21.1 15.8 13.0 9.1 6.2 5.7 3.5 2.0 2.0 1.6 1.1 0.9 0.7 0.0 0.0
Physical exams Laboratory tests Emergency care Grooming/boarding Drugs or medications Vaccinations Food X-rays Hospitalization Dental care Behavior counseling Other surgery Flea or tick products Euthanasia Deworming Microchip/tattoo Alternative therapies Spay/neuter
*Not available
83
BIRD | Veterinary Medical Use and Expenditures Table 2-38. Reason for choosing the veterinarian seen at the most recent veterinary visit by bird-owning households, 1996-2006 1996 % 42.8 * 20.7 22.1 9.8 10.0 3.9 1.4 2.1 * 8.0 % * 23.5 13.2 5.6 6.0 5.2 1.2 1.6 * 13.6 2001 % 52.0 24.2 22.3 9.6 8.4 9.3 1.2 0.0 1.0 0.0 2.5 % 28.6 8.3 32.1 0.6 16.7 14.3 0.0 1.2 0.0 1.2 2006 % 42.5 26.7 17.4 10.7 7.2 6.7 3.4 0.8 0.5 0.0 33.8 % 22.5 12.8 12.2 4.9 3.2 3.2 1.4 0.5 0.0 58.8
Regular veterinarian Specialist Location Recommendation Hours Fees Yellow page listing Advertising Saw outdoor sign Internet Web site None of the above Households with no regular veterinarian Specialist Recommendation Location Yellow page listing Fees Hours Advertising Saw outdoor sign Internet Web site None of the above
*Not available
84
Veterinary Medical Use and Expenditures | HORSE
Chapter 6: Horse-owning Households

Among horse-owning households, 61.1% had at least one visit to the veterinarian in 2006, an increase of 11.9% since 2001 (Table 2-39). Of horse-owning households, 19.4% had one visit, 18.2% had two visits, 6.7% had three visits, 16.8% had four or more visits and 38.9% had no visits to the veterinarian in 2006. On average, households that owned horses visited the veterinarian 2.2 times in 2006, a 4.8% increase in the past five years. Each horse saw the veterinarian an average of 0.5 times a year, down 44.4% from 2001. Among all pets, horses represented 2.2% of total veterinary visits in 2006.
Table 2-39. Distribution of horse-owning households by number of visits to the veterinarian and mean number of visits per household and per horse, 1991-2006 1991 % 46.4 17.2 14.4 6.5 15.4 2.4 1.0 1996 % 40.9 18.1 15.5 7.4 18.1 2.3 1.0 2001 % 45.4 18.7 13.5 5.2 17.2 2.1 0.9 2006 % 38.9 19.4 18.2 6.7 16.8 2.2 0.5
Number of visits None One Two Three Four or more Mean per household (#) Mean per horse (#)
The total visits to the veterinarian were estimated by multiplying the number of visits per horse and the total horse population during the year (8.6 million). Horses had an estimated 4.3 million visits to the veterinarian in 2006, representing a 6.5% decrease from 2001 (Figure 2-20).
Figure 2-20. Total number of veterinary visits in millions for horse-owning households, 1991-2006
5.0
N umber of visits (in millions)
4.0 3.0 2.0 1.0 0.0
4.6 4.0
4.6
4.3
1991
1996
2001
2006
85
HORSE | Veterinary Medical Use and Expenditures
Households that considered their horses to be property took their horse to the veterinarian more often (4.1%) than those that considered their horses to be family members (2.1) or pets/companions (2.1) (Figure 2-21). This is likely because their horse is used for work-related purposes. This was the opposite case among dog-, cat- and bird-owning households where those who considered their pets to be family members saw the veterinarian more often than those who considered their pets as pets/companions or property.
Figure 2-21. Mean number of veterinary visits for horse-owning households by humananimal bond, 2006
Total 2.2
Family member
2.1
Pet/companion
2.1
Property
4.1
0.0
0.5
1.0
1.5
2.0
2.5
3.0
3.5
4.0
4.5
5.0
The mean veterinary expenditure per household for horses was $360 in 2006, resulting in a 36.9% increase in veterinary expenditures per household since 2001 (6.5% compound annual rate) (Table 2-40). The mean expenditure per visit was $167, up 27.5% since 2001 (5.0% compound annual rate). The mean expenditure per horse was $92 in 2006, a drop of 17.9% from five years ago (-4.0 compound annual rate). Over this same period, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) increased by a compound annual rate of 2.6%. Two-out-of-ten (20.3%) horse-owning households had veterinary expenditures of $500 or more in 2006, a 37.2% increase since 2001.
Table 2-40. Distribution of horse-owning households by veterinary expenditures and mean expenditure per household, per visit and per horse, 1987-2006 1987 % * * * * * * * 121 65 * 1991 % * * * * * * * 163 68 * 1996 % 41.0 6.6 12.2 11.8 16.9 6.2 5.2 226 100 97 2001 % 46.5 3.3 8.5 10.7 16.2 8.1 6.7 263 131 112 2006 % 42.1 2.0 5.1 11.3 19.2 10.5 9.8 360 167 92 *Not available
Expenditures No expenditures Less than $50 $50 to $99 $100 to $199 $200 to $499 $500 to $999 $1,000 or more Mean per household ($) Mean per visit ($) Mean per horse ($) 86
The total amount spent on veterinary services for horses was calculated as the multiple of total veterinary visits for horses (4.299 million3 ) and the mean expenditure per visit ($167.1). In 2006, total expenditures on veterinary visits for horses were approximately $718.3 million (Figure 2-22). This represents an 18.1% increase over 2001 expenditures (3.4% compound annual rate). Among all pets, horses represented 2.9% of total veterinary expenditures. Trend information on visits and expenditures for horse-owning households is presented in Table 2-44 at the end of this chapter.
Figure 2-22. Total veterinary expenditures in millions for horse-owning households, 1991-2006
$800
Exp end itures (in millions)
$700 $600 $500 $400 $300 $200 $100 $0 1991 1996 2001 2006 $313.3 $396.3 $608.4 $718.3
In 2006, horse-owning households that considered horses to be family members spent 24.0% more on veterinary expenditures ($382) per household than those that considered their horses to be pets/companions ($308) (Table 2-41). However, households that considered horses to be property spent the most per household ($573).
Table 2-41. Distribution of horse-owning households and mean veterinary expenditure per household by veterinary expenditures and human-animal bond, 2006 I consider my horse(s) to be a: Pet/companion % 45.3 2.7 6.0 10.7 19.8 7.8 7.7 308
Family member % 36.2 0.6 4.2 11.2 20.6 15.3 11.9 382
Property % 35.7 7.4 4.6 20.6 6.8 15.3 9.5 573
See Population Statistics in Appendix A. 87
HORSE | Veterinary Medical Use and Expenditures
As household income increased, veterinary expenditures per horse-owning household increased in 2006 (Table 2-42). Expenditures were at higher levels for those who considered their horses to be family members versus those who considered their horses to be pets/companions.
Table 2-42. Mean veterinary expenditure per horse-owning household by household income and human-animal bond, 2006 I consider my horse(s) to be a: Family member Pet/companion Property $ $ $ 207 79 n 309 132 n 275 214 n 465 401 n 595 527 n n=Insufficient number of useable responses
Total $ 133 219 304 488 543
During any single visit to the veterinarian, a variety of services and products can be purchased. The top three products or services purchased at the most recent veterinary visit among horseowning households were physical exams (54.2%), vaccinations (49.3%) and emergency care (24.4%) (Figure 2-23). Households seeking physical exams for their horses slightly increased (1.5%) from 2001 but has drastically increased (79.5%) in the past 20 years. Households seeking vaccinations and emergency care have fluctuated over this period, with vaccinations down 6.3% and emergency care up 18.4% since 2001. Trend information on all products or services purchased at the most recent veterinary visit among horse-owning households is presented in Table 2-45 at the end of this chapter.
Figure 2-23. Top three services and products of 2006 purchased at the most recent veterinary visit by horse-owning households, 1987-2006
60%
5 2 .8 % 5 3 .4 % 5 2 .6 % 4 3 .6 % 4 2 .6 % 5 4 .2 % 4 9 .3 %
50% 40%
3 8 .1%
3 9 .3 %
30% 20% 10% 0%
3 0 .2 % 2 7 .4 % 2 0 .8 % 2 6 .0 % 2 0 .6 % 2 4 .4 %
Physical exams Vaccinations Emergency care 1987 1991 1996 2001 2006
88
Approximately eight-out-of-ten (80.8%) horse-owning households considered the veterinarian they last visited to be their regular veterinarian, an increase of 7.2% from 2001 (Figure 2-24). Other main factors involved in the decision process were location (22.5%), fees (13.7%) and recommendation (10.2%) (Table 2-43). Among those with no regular veterinarian, the main reasons given for choosing the veterinarian they last visited were recommendation (23.7%), specialist (19.0%) and location (16.2%). Trend information on reasons for choosing a veterinarian is available in Table 2-46 at the end of the chapter.
Figure 2-24. Percentage of horse-owning households with a regular veterinarian, 1996-2006
100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% 1996 2001 2006 76.8% 75.4% 80.8%
Table 2-43. Percentage of horse-owning households that chose the veterinarian they used for the most recent visit by reason for selecting the veterinarian, 2006 Percentage* of veterinary users that selected their veterinarian based on each reason Percentage* of veterinary users that selected a non regular veterinarian based on each reason
Reason for selecting veterinarian they last visited % % Regular veterinarian 80.8 N/A Location 22.5 16.2 Fees 13.7 9.1 Recommendation 10.2 23.7 Hours 9.9 0.9 Specialist 9.9 19.0 Saw outdoor sign 0.4 1.5 Advertising 0.2 0.0 Yellow page listing 0.0 0.0 Internet Web site 0.0 0.0 None of the above 9.0 46.9 * Percentages will not sum to 100% because respondents could indicate multiple reasons
89
HORSE | Veterinary Medical Use and Expenditures Table 2-44. Veterinary visits and expenditures by horse-owning households, 1996-2006 1996 # 2.3 1.0 4.0 2001 # 2.1 0.9 4.6 2006 # 2.2 0.5 4.3
Visits to the veterinarian Mean per household Mean per horse Total visits (in millions) Percentage of households by number of visits None One Two Three Four or more Veterinarian expenditures (in dollars) Mean per household Mean per visit Mean per horse Total expenditures (in millions) Percentage of households by level of expenditures No expenditures Less than $50 $50 to $99 $100 to $199 $200 to $499 $500 to $999 $1,000 or more
% 40.9 18.1 15.5 7.4 18.1 $ 226 100 97 396.3
% 45.4 18.7 13.5 5.2 17.2 $ 263 131 112 608.4
% 38.9 19.4 18.2 6.7 16.8 $ 360 167 92 718.3
% 41.0 6.6 12.2 11.8 16.9 6.2 5.2
% 46.5 3.3 8.5 10.7 16.2 8.1 6.7
% 42.1 2.0 5.1 11.3 19.2 10.5 9.8
90
Veterinary Medical Use and Expenditures | HORSE Table 2-45. Distribution of services and products purchased during the most recent veterinary visit by horse-owning households, 1996-2006 1996 % 43.6 39.3 26.0 22.5 15.3 14.6 8.7 1.5 2.6 3.9 * 0.8 0.7 1.0 1.2 1.8 * 0.2 2001 % 53.4 52.6 20.6 19.9 13.8 9.3 15.9 1.4 2.4 2.4 1.4 0.7 1.0 0.7 0.3 2.4 1.0 0.3 2006 % 54.2 49.3 24.4 16.8 13.2 11.9 11.8 5.0 3.4 2.4 1.8 1.8 1.6 1.3 1.1 1.0 0.9 0.5
Physical exams Vaccinations Emergency care Drugs or medications Deworming Laboratory tests Dental care Euthanasia Other surgery X-rays Alternative therapies Hospitalization Grooming/boarding Flea or tick products Food Spay/neuter Microchip/tattoo Behavior counseling
*Not available
91
HORSE | Veterinary Medical Use and Expenditures Table 2-46. Reason for choosing the veterinarian seen at the most recent veterinary visit by horse-owning households, 1996-2006 1996 % 76.8 24.5 16.9 14.0 12.0 * 0.5 0.5 0.7 * 4.3 % 28.4 * 16.3 12.8 0.0 5.0 1.4 0.0 * 15.6 2001 % 75.4 17.6 10.5 10.5 9.0 7.3 0.4 0.2 0.8 0.2 2.5 % 9.4 7.6 20.3 12.7 0.3 10.6 0.8 0.3 0.3 0.0 2006 % 80.8 22.5 13.7 10.2 9.9 9.9 0.4 0.2 0.0 0.0 9.0 % 23.7 19.0 16.2 9.1 1.5 0.9 0.0 0.0 0.0 46.9
Regular veterinarian Location Fees Recommendation Hours Specialist Saw outdoor sign Advertising Yellow page listing Internet Web site None of the above Households with no regular veterinarian Recommendation Specialist Location Fees Saw outdoor sign Hours Yellow page listing Advertising Internet Web site None of the above
*Not available
92
Veterinary Medical Use and Expenditures | SPECIALTY & EXOTIC
Chapter 7: Specialty and Exotic Pet-owning Households

Many households that owned specialty and exotic pets took them to the veterinarian in 2006. Of specialty and exotic pet owners, households that owned ferrets were the most likely to visit the veterinarian (38.5%) (Table 2-47). Other specialty and exotic pet-owning households that went to the veterinarian more often than others include those with guinea pigs (18.4%), rabbits (16.4%) and those pets classified as other rodents (15.8%). Households that were least likely to obtain veterinary medical services for their specialty and exotic pets included those with fish (1.9%) and other reptiles (0.0%).
Table 2-47. Percentage of households with veterinary expenditures by type of specialty and exotic pet, 1996-2006 1996 % 0.4 49.2 12.7 5.3 11.9 5.8 13.6 7.1 7.8 13.0 5.1 4.4 31.8 8.0 2001 % 0.6 44.9 15.9 3.6 15.4 5.8 8.7 4.7 9.6 6.5 2.0 5.1 29.1 13.7 2006 % 1.9 38.5 16.4 3.9 18.4 8.1 15.8 7.7 4.0 4.0 0.0 3.6 30.5 8.2
Fish Ferrets Rabbits Hamsters Guinea pigs Gerbils Other rodents Turtles Snakes Lizards Other reptiles Other birds Livestock All others
The average number of veterinary visits per household for specialty and exotic pets has been consistent over the past decade (0.3). The mean number of visits per pet was 0.08 in 2006 (Table 2-48). The total visits to the veterinarian were estimated by multiplying the number of visits per pet (0.0849) and the specialty and exotic population during the year (54.98 million). In 2006, specialty and exotic pets had an estimated 4.7 million visits to the veterinarian.
Table 2-48. For all households that own specialty and exotic pets, mean visits per pet, mean visits per household and total veterinary visits, 1996-2006 1996 # 0.3 * * 2001 # 0.3 * * 2006 # 0.3 0.08 4.7 *Not available
Mean visits per household Mean visits per pet Total visits (in millions)
93
SPECIALTY & EXOTIC | Veterinary Medical Use and Expenditures
The mean expenditure per visit in 2006 was $93, which was 13.1% lower than in 2001. However, expenditures per household increased 8.7% in the same time frame (Table 2-49). The total amount spent on veterinary services for specialty and exotic pets was calculated as the multiple of total veterinary visits (4.67 million) and mean expenditure per visit ($93.1). Total veterinary expenditures for specialty and exotic pets was $435 million in 2006. Among all pets, specialty and exotic pets represented 2.4% of total veterinary visits and 1.8% of total veterinary expenditures in 2006.
Table 2-49. For all households that owned specialty and exotic pets, mean vet expenditure per visit, mean total veterinary expenditures per household and total veterinary expenditures, 1996-2006 1996 $ 26 63 * * 2001 $ 23 107 * * 2006 $ 25 93 7 435 *Not available
Mean expenditure per household Mean expenditure per visit Mean expenditure per pet Total expenditures (in millions)
94
Veterinary Medical Use and Expenditures | SUMMARY TABLES
Veterinary Medical Use and Expenditures Summary Tables

Table 2-50. Veterinary visits and expenditures for all species, 2006 All Pets # 2.8 0.8 193.0 Dog # 2.6 1.5 119.4 Cat # 1.7 0.7 63.3 Bird # 0.3 0.1 1.3 Horse # 2.2 0.5 4.3 Specialty # 0.3 0.08 4.7
Visits to veterinarian Mean per household Mean per pet Total visits (in millions) Percentage of households by number of visits None One Two Three Four or more Veterinarian expenditures Mean per household Mean per visit Mean per pet Total expenditures (in billions) Percentage of households by level of expenditures No expenditures Less than $50 $50 to $99 $100 to $199 $200 to $499 $500 to $999 $1,000 or more *Not available
% 22.3 19.2 20.4 11.1 27.0 $ 366 130 104 24.5
% 17.3 22.9 23.5 12.2 24.1 $ 356 135 200 16.1
% 36.3 26.3 17.5 7.1 12.8 $ 190 112 81 7.1
% 86.1 7.6 2.7 1.4 2.2 $ 25 82 9 0.102
% 38.9 19.4 18.2 6.7 16.8 $ 360 167 92 0.718
% 91.3 4.3 1.9 0.9 1.6 $ 25 93 7 0.435
% 23.9 4.1 8.3 14.6 27.2 12.9 9.0
% 20.9 4.5 8.9 15.8 29.4 12.1 8.4
% 39.2 5.4 10.9 15.3 19.1 6.2 3.9
% 87.6 2.7 2.4 2.6 3.5 0.9 0.3
% 42.1 2.0 5.1 11.3 19.2 10.5 9.8
% 90.7 2 2.2 2.2 1.6 0.7 0.5
95
SUMMARY TABLES | Veterinary Medical Use and Expenditures Table 2-51. Reasons for choosing the veterinarian used on the most recent veterinary visits for all species, 2006 Dogs % 81.8 36.1 17.6 15.4 11.0 2.7 1.3 1.1 1.1 0.2 5.8 Cats % 77.3 38.3 18.1 15.9 11.7 2.9 1.4 1.3 1.2 0.4 7.8 Birds % 42.5 17.4 6.7 7.2 10.7 26.7 3.4 0.8 0.5 0.0 33.8 Horses % 80.8 22.5 13.7 9.9 10.2 9.9 0.0 0.2 0.4 0.0 9.0
38.1 21.6 20.2 15.0 5.3 3.1 3.0 2.3 0.2 31.9
38.0 23.1 19.0 12.6 4.2 3.9 3.3 1.9 0.6 34.2
12.2 3.2 12.8 3.2 22.5 4.9 1.4 0.5 0.0 58.8
16.2 9.1 23.7 0.9 19.0 0.0 0.0 1.5 0.0 46.9
96
Pet Owner Demographics | ALL PETS
SECTION 3 Pet Owner Demographics

The percentage of households that owned pets in 2006 varied across selected demographic categories. These categories included life stage, marital status, household size, household income, education level, employment status, ownership status, type of residence, community size and ethnicity. The household life-stage method was used to classify households based on family characteristics. There were three main life-stage groups: singles, couples and parents. These main groupings were then broken down into 10 life-stage subgroups. The 10 household life-stage subgroups were classified as: 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) 7) 8) 9) 10) Young singles: one member, younger than 35 years old. Middle singles: one member, 35 to 65 years old. Older singles: one member, older than 65 years old. Young couple: multiple members, household head younger than 45 years old, no children. Working older couple: multiple members, household head 45 or older, household head employed, no children. Retired older couple: multiple members, household head 45 or older, household head not employed, no children. Young parent: multiple members, household head younger than 45 years old, youngest child younger than 6 years old. Middle parent: multiple members, household head younger than 45 years old, youngest child 6 or older. Older parent: multiple members, household head 45 or older, children of any age present. Roommates: multiple members, unmarried head of household living with non-relative 18 years or older.
97
ALL PETS | Pet Owner Demographics
Chapter 1: All Pet-owning Households

Pet ownership increased in all three of the major life-stage categories in 2006 (Figure 3-1). Households categorized as parents continued to rank the highest in pet ownership (70.5%, 2.3% growth since 2001), followed by couples (59.8%, 10.1% growth since 2001) and singles (42.1%, 6.6% growth since 2001).
Figure 3-1. Percentage of households that owned pets by life stage, 1991-2006
100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% 1991 1996 2001 2006
72.4% 54.4% 38.8% 73.1% 53.3% 40.3% 68.9% 54.3% 39.5% 42.1% Parents Couples Singles 70.5% 59.8%
In 2006, pet ownership increased from 2001 rates among middle singles, older singles, working older couples, retired older couples, young parents and older parents (Table 3-1). Of all life-stage groups, retired older couples experienced the biggest increase in pet ownership (14.1%) since 2001. During the same time period, pet ownership decreased among young singles, young couples, middle parents and roommates.
Table 3-1. Percentage of households that owned pets by life stage, 1991-2006 1991 % 48.2 43.0 29.2 70.4 55.4 41.1 67.4 78.7 71.3 70.7 1996 % 51.5 44.9 29.6 72.4 56.5 40.9 70.8 78.6 71.0 71.8 2001 % 50.2 44.4 29.7 72.5 58.9 39.8 64.1 74.8 69.0 71.6 2006 % 49.1 46.9 31.9 71.3 62.8 45.4 67.7 74.6 70.1 67.8
Life stage Young singles Middle singles Older singles Young couples Working older couples Retired older couples Young parents Middle parents Older parents Roommates
98
Pet ownership was highest among those who were married (65.9%), followed by those divorced, widowed or separated (51.3%), and those never married (50.7%).
Figure 3-2. Percentage of households that owned pets by marital status, 2006
100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% Married Never married Divorced, w idow ed, separated 50.7% 65.9% 51.3%
The likelihood of owning a pet increased in 2006 as household size increased (Table 3-2). This trend has been evident over the past 15 years. Pet ownership increased among all household sizes since 2001, with two-member households increasing the most (9.1%).
Table 3-2. Percentage of households that owned pets by size of household, 1991-2006 1991 % 38.8 55.2 70.0 74.7 76.0 1996 % 40.2 55.7 70.7 76.1 75.5 2001 % 39.5 54.8 67.8 71.5 71.0 2006 % 42.1 59.8 69.3 71.7 72.5
Household size One member Two members Three members Four members Five or more members
Households were divided into five income categories for analysis. The likelihood of owning a pet in 2006 increased as household income increased, up to a threshold of $85,000 or more (Table 3-3). For example, about half (51.3%) of all households with incomes less than $20,000 had pets in 2006, compared to nearly two-thirds (64.2%) of households with incomes from $55,000 to $84,999.
Table 3-3. Percentage of households that own pets by household income, 2001-2006 2001 % 47.6 53.1 57.5 62.0 62.1 2006 % 51.3 57.3 60.6 64.2 63.6
99
Pet ownership was not as evident among those with advanced degrees (54.7%) as it was with those that obtained less education in 2006 (high school or less, 60.3%; attended college, 60.8%; college graduate, 60.2%) (Table 3-4). Pet ownership among male heads of households was reflective of all households, while pet ownership among females varied in relation to education level.
Table 3-4. Percentage of households that owned pets by education level of the head of household, 2006 All households % 60.3 60.8 60.2 54.7 Female heads % 59.8 63.8 65.2 60.6 Male heads % 64.7 63.4 61.1 55.0
Education level High school or less Attended college College graduate Advanced degree
Heads of households working full time were most likely (66.5%) to own pets in 2006, followed by those not employed (61.3%), those working part time (55.5%) and those retired (45.0%) (Table 3-5). Female and male heads of households followed the same trend.
Table 3-5. Percentage of households that owned pets by employment status of the head of household, 2006 All households % 66.5 55.5 45.0 61.3 Female heads % 67.6 67.9 45.0 67.1 Male heads % 67.6 55.4 46.3 64.3
Employment status Full time Part time Retired Not employed
Those who owned a home were more likely to own a pet (62.3%) than those who rented (50.5%) in 2006 (Table 3-6). However, pet ownership increased among both homeowners and renters in the past five years.
Table 3-6. Percentage of households that own pets by home-ownership status, 1991-2006 1991 % 60.7 49.8 59.9 1996 % 61.5 49.4 59.7 2001 % 58.7 46.7 57.6 2006 % 62.3 50.5 59.6
Home-ownership status Owned own home Rented Other
100
People that lived in mobile homes (68.5%) and houses (63.4%) were more likely to own pets than those living in twinplexes/duplexes (55.7%), condominiums (41.7%), apartments (39.5%) or other types of residences (47.6%) in 2006 (Table 3-7). Pet ownership increased in each type of residence in 2006 versus 2001.
Table 3-7. Percentage of households that owned pets by type of residence, 2001-2006 2001 % 60.1 34.7 64.4 36.2 50.4 45.2 2006 % 63.4 39.5 68.5 41.7 55.7 47.6
Type of residence House Apartment Mobile home Condominium Twinplex/Duplex Other
As community size increased, pet ownership decreased in 2006 (Table 3-8). For example, 66.9% of households in communities with populations less than 100,000 owned pets, compared to 55.4% of those living in communities with populations of 2 million or more. Community size had the same impact on pet ownership in 2001.
Table 3-8. Percentage of households that owned pets by community size, 2001-2006 2001 % 61.8 58.9 55.7 53.0 2006 % 66.9 64.5 60.4 55.4
Community size Less than 100,000 100,000 to 499,999 500,000 to 1,999,999 2,000,000 or more
Of the various racial and ethnic groups, those who were White (63.1%) were most likely to own pets in 2006, followed by Spanish/Hispanic (57.5%), Asian/Pacific Islanders/American Indian/Aleut Eskimo (49.4%) and Black/African-American (26.6%) (Table 3-9).
Table 3-9. Percentage of households owning all pets, dogs, cats, birds, horses, and specialty and exotic pets by race/ethnicity, 2006 All Pets % 63.1 57.5 26.6 49.4 Dog % 40.9 40.1 17.2 30.9 Cat % 36.1 28.0 8.9 23.4 Bird % 4.3 5.5 1.4 4.4 Horse % 2.1 1.3 0.2 1.2
Race and ethnicity White Spanish/Hispanic Black/African-American Asian/Pacific Islander/American Indian/Aleut Eskimo
101
Chapter 2: Multiple-Pet Households

Households categorized as singles were least likely to own dogs, or dogs and cats. Households categorized as parents were least likely to own cats (Table 3-10).
Table 3-10. Percentage of households that owned dogs only, cats only, and dogs and cats only by life stage, 2006 Dog(s) only % 13.1 20.2 19.4 21.5 Cat(s) only % 16.0 16.4 11.4 19.3 Dog(s) and cat(s) only % 5.4 10.0 12.5 11.9
Life stage Singles Couples Parents Roommates
Households owning dogs, or dogs and cats were more apparent in multi-sized households, whereas households owning cats were higher among smaller-sized households (Table 3-11).
Table 3-11. Percentage of households that owned dogs only, cats only, and dogs and cats only by household size, 2006 Dog(s) only % 13.1 19.8 20.2 20.0 19.0 Cat(s) only % 15.9 16.5 13.6 10.4 9.1 Dog(s) and cat(s) only % 5.4 10.0 12.5 12.7 12.4
As income increased, the percentage of households with dogs, or dogs and cats increased. However, income level had little impact on cat ownership (Table 3-12).
Table 3-12. Percentage of households that owned dogs only, cats only, and dogs and cats only by household income, 2006 Dog(s) only % 14.2 16.0 17.7 19.9 21.8 Cat(s) only % 14.1 13.9 13.8 14.9 14.9 Dog(s) and cat(s) only % 8.6 10.2 10.3 10.7 9.2
102
Pet Owner Demographics | DOG
Chapter 3: Dog-owning Households

Households categorized as parents were most likely to own dogs (50.0%) in 2006, followed by couples (38.0%) and singles (21.9%) (Figure 3-3). Since 2001, dog ownership has increased 4.2% for parent households, 5.3% for single households and 10.5% among couple households.
Figure 3-3. Percentage of households that owned dogs by life stage, 1991-2006
100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% 1991 1996 2001 2006
49.0% 34.1% 19.7% 48.0% 45.5% 29.2% 17.0% 34.4% 20.8% 50.0% 38.0% Parents 21.9% Couples Singles
Dog ownership increased in the majority of life-stage groups in the past five years (Table 3-13). The groups that had a decline in dog ownership in the past five years were young singles (-6.7%), young couples (-0.4%) and roommates (-11.3%).
Table 3-13. Percentage of households that owned dogs by life stage, 1991-2006 1991 % 20.5 22.5 16.2 41.4 35.7 26.8 43.2 54.3 49.1 42.9 1996 % 22.9 19.9 10.8 42.6 31.4 19.9 44.5 50.6 42.5 40.6 2001 % 25.4 23.1 16.4 45.0 37.4 25.6 43.0 53.4 48.4 47.6 2006 % 23.7 24.7 16.7 44.8 40.5 28.5 46.2 55.3 49.8 42.2
103
DOG | Pet Owner Demographics
Married couples (45.3%) were more likely to own dogs than those divorced, widowed or separated (31.2%) and those never married (28.0%) (Figure 3-4).
Figure 3-4. Percentage of households that own dogs by marital status, 2006
As the size of the household increased, the likelihood of owning a dog increased in 2006 (Table 3-14). For example, 21.9% of one-member households owned dogs, compared to 54.3% of households with five or more members. Dog ownership grew among each of the various household sizes between 2001 and 2006.
Table 3-14. Percentage of households that owned dogs by size of household, 1991-2006 1991 % 19.7 33.9 45.9 52.4 53.8 1996 % 17.0 29.8 42.8 49.3 49.7 2001 % 20.8 34.3 46.2 50.6 53.0 2006 % 21.9 37.6 47.5 51.9 54.3
104
As household size increased, the bond with the dog decreased in 2006 (Table 3-15). Smaller-sized households were more likely to consider their dogs to be family members, while larger-sized households were more likely to consider their dogs to be pets/companions. For example, 56.3% of one-member households considered their dogs to be family members, compared to 41.7% of households with five or more family members.
Table 3-15. Percentage of households that owned dogs by household size and humananimal bond, 2006 I consider my dog(s) to be a: Pet/companion % 45.1 42.1 38.5 44.4 51.6 55.7
Household size All One member Two members Three members Four members Five or more members
Family member % 53.5 56.3 60.5 54.3 47.4 41.7
Property % 1.3 1.6 0.9 1.3 1.0 2.6
In general, the likelihood of owning a dog increased as household income increased in 2006 (Figure 3-5). In 2006, dog ownership rates peaked at the $55,000-$84,999 income category (42.8%), which was similar to the threshold in 2001. Households with incomes less than $20,000 (30.7%) were least likely to own dogs in 2006.
Figure 3-5. Percentage of households that owned dogs by household income, 2001-2006 (Note: 1991-1996 figures not shown; different scales were used at the time)
100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 30.7% 29.7% 20% 10% 0% 37.3% 33.9% 39.8% 37.9% 42.8% 40.5% 39.7% 42.1%
2001 2006
Less than $20,000 $20,000 to $34,999 $35,000 to $54,999 $55,000 to $84,999 $85,000 or more
105
Households with lower incomes were most likely to consider their dogs to be family members in 2006 (Table 3-16). For example, 58.9% of households with incomes less than $20,000 considered their dogs to be family members, compared to 50.6% of households with incomes of $85,000 or more.
Table 3-16. Percentage of households that owned dogs by household income and human-animal bond, 2006 I consider my dog(s) to be a: Pet/companion % 45.1 39.6 42.3 45.9 47.0 48.4
Household income All Less than $20,000 $20,000 to $34,999 $35,000 to $54,999 $55,000 to $84,999 $85,000 or more
Family member % 53.5 58.9 55.8 52.5 52.1 50.6
Property % 1.3 1.4 1.9 1.6 0.9 1.0
Among all households, dog ownership decreased as education level increased in 2006 (Table 3-17). For example, 41.6% of households with high school or less education owned dogs, compared to 32.2% of households with advanced degrees. Education level impacted dog ownership among male heads of households similarly, but it didnt correlate in the same manner among female heads of households.
Table 3-17. Percentage of households that owned dogs by education level of the head of household, 2006 All households % 41.6 40.1 37.5 32.2 Female heads % 41.2 42.9 41.3 36.4 Male heads % 46.5 43.6 39.5 33.3
Heads of households working full time (44.3%) or those not employed at all (39.3%) were more likely to own dogs than heads of households working part time (32.3%) or retired (28.2%) (Table 3-18). This same pattern is seen with male heads of households but it is different among female heads of households. Among female heads of households, dog ownership was similar among those working full time (44.6%), those working part time (44.0%), and those not employed (45.7%), but was lower for those retired (27.8%).
Table 3-18. Percentage of households that owned dogs by employment status of the head of household, 2006 All households % 44.3 32.3 28.2 39.3 Female heads % 44.6 44.0 27.8 45.7 Male heads % 46.3 34.2 29.9 43.7
106
Those that owned a home were 1.6 times more likely to own a dog than those who rented in 2006 (Table 3-19). However, dog ownership increased regardless of ownership status compared to 2001.
Table 3-19. Percentage of households that owned dogs by home-ownership status, 1991-2006 1991 % 40.7 23.6 38.4 1996 % 36.2 22.2 32.3 2001 % 39.4 23.8 39.4 2006 % 42.1 26.7 41.7
In 2006, people that lived in mobile homes (50.2%) or houses (43.2%) were more likely to own dogs than those living in twinplexes/duplexes (29.9%), condominiums (18.4%), apartments (14.7%) or other residences (27.3%) (Table 3-20).
Table 3-20. Percentage of households that owned dogs by type of residence, 2001-2006 2001 % 40.8 11.7 45.4 14.1 23.1 24.8 2006 % 43.2 14.7 50.2 18.4 29.9 27.3
107
As community size increased, dog ownership decreased in 2006, mirroring the same trend seen in 2001 (Figure 3-6). For example, nearly half (49.8%) of households in communities with populations of less than 100,000 people owned dogs, compared to one-third (33.3%) of households in communities with populations of 2 million or more.
Figure 3-6. Percentage of households that owned dogs by community size, 2001-2006
31.1% 33.3%
2,000,000 or more
500,000 to 1,999,999
36.8% 39.7% 39.0% 44.0%
100,000 to 499,999
Less than 100,000
44.6% 49.8% 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
2001 2006
The majority of those White (53.7), Spanish/Hispanic (52.9%) and those grouped as Asian/Pacific Islander/American Indian/Aleut Eskimo (57.0%) considered their dogs to be family members, compared to those that were Black/African American (44.8%) (Table 3-21).
Table 3-21. Percentage of households that owned dogs by race/ethnicity and humananimal bond: 2006 I consider my dog(s) to be a: Family member Pet/companion Property % % % 53.5 45.1 1.3 53.7 45.1 1.2 52.9 45.9 1.2 44.8 51.3 3.8 57.0 41.5 1.6
Race & ethnicity All White Spanish/Hispanic Black/African-American Asian/Pacific Islander/American Indian/Aleut Eskimo
108
Pet Owner Demographics | CAT
Chapter 4: Cat-owning Households

Households categorized as parents were most likely to own cats (39.0%), followed by couples (33.1%) and singles (24.7%) in 2006. (Figure 3-7). Since 2001, cat ownership has increased slightly in each of the three major life-stage groups (parents, 2.9%; couples, 7.1%; singles, 5.1%).
Figure 3-7. Percentage of households that owned cats by life stage, 1991-2006
100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% 1991 1996 2001 2006
38.7% 28.6% 20.9% 39.0% 36.3% 25.4% 18.7% 37.9% 30.9% 23.5% 33.1% 24.7% Parents Couples Singles
Cat ownership increased in the majority of life-stage groups in the past five years. Life stages that experienced declines since 2001 were young couples (-6.1%) and roommates (-4.9%) (Table 3-22).
Table 3-22. Percentage of households that owned cats by life stage, 1991-2006 1991 % 26.8 24.0 14.4 40.3 28.5 19.8 34.2 42.6 39.1 39.8 1996 % 27.5 22.3 10.4 39.5 27.2 16.1 35.2 40.3 34.2 39.4 2001 % 30.2 26.9 16.8 44.1 33.7 20.8 33.4 41.9 38.9 40.5 2006 % 30.5 27.5 17.8 41.4 34.5 23.8 36.6 42.2 39.0 38.5
109
CAT | Pet Owner Demographics
Married couples (36.0%) were more likely to own cats than those never married (29.8%) or those divorced, widowed or separated (29.7%) (Figure 3-8).
Figure 3-8. Percentage of households that owned cats by marital status, 2006
Overall, as the size of the household increased, the likelihood of owning a cat increased in 2006 (Table 3-23). For example, 24.7% of one-member households owned cats, compared to 40.0% of households with five or more members. One exception was that four-member households (38.5%) were slightly less likely to own cats than three-member households (39.1%). Cat ownership increased among all household sizes in the past five years.
Table 3-23. Percentage of households that owned cats by size of household, 1991-2006 1991 % 20.9 29.2 37.3 39.4 41.0 1996 % 18.7 27.0 35.6 36.5 38.1 2001 % 23.5 31.3 37.4 38.2 39.7 2006 % 24.7 33.4 39.1 38.5 40.0
110
A higher rate of smaller-sized households (one-member, 49.9%; two-member, 55.5%; threemember, 49.0%) considered their cats to be family members than to four-member (43.7%) or five-or-more member (38.6%) households (Table 3-24).
Table 3-24. Percentage of households that owned cats by household size and humananimal bond, 2006 I consider my cat(s) to be a: Pet/companion % 49.4 48.5 43.6 49.9 55.2 57.7
Family member % 49.2 49.9 55.5 49.0 43.7 38.6
Property % 1.4 1.6 0.8 1.1 1.1 3.7
Household income had a slight impact on the likelihood of owning a cat in 2006, with a slight dip in the $85,000-or-more income range (closely resembles 2001 levels) (Figure 3-9). Catownership rates ranged from 30.1% for households earning less than $20,000 to 35.5% for those earning $55,000 to $84,999.
Figure 3-9. Percentage of households that owned cats by household income, 2001-2006 (Note: 1991-1996 figures not shown; different scales were used at the time)
100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% 28.1% 30.1% 30.9% 33.6% 32.2% 34.1% 34.3% 35.5% 33.7% 33.3%
2001 2006
Less than $20,000 $20,000 to $34,999 $35,000 to $54,999 $55,000 to $84,999 $85,000 or more
111
Households with lower incomes were more likely to consider their cats to be family members than households with higher incomes in 2006 (Table 3-25). For example, 55.2% of households with incomes less than $20,000 considered their cats to be family members, compared to 42.9% of households with incomes of $85,000 or more. Households with higher incomes ($55,000+) were more likely to consider their cats to be pets/companions.
Table 3-25. Percentage of households that owned cats by household income and human-animal bond, 2006 I consider my cat(s) to be a: Pet/companion % 49.4 43.0 47.6 48.2 50.4 55.9
Family member % 49.2 55.2 50.8 50.2 48.6 42.9
Property % 1.4 1.7 1.6 1.6 1.0 1.2
Among all households, cat ownership was similar across most education levels in 2006. The exception was among those with advanced degrees, who were less likely to own a cat (30.4%) (Table 3-26). Female heads of households followed the same pattern as all households, but cat ownership decreased as education level increased among male heads of households.
Table 3-26. Percentage of households that own cats by education level of the head of household, 2006 All households % 33.7 34.0 34.0 30.4 Female heads % 32.8 36.6 37.3 33.9 Male heads % 35.8 34.6 33.8 29.4
Among all households, cat ownership was highest among those working full time (37.2%) and those not employed (36.0%), and lower among those working part time (33.8%) and retired (24.1%) (Table 3-27). Cat ownership among male heads of households mirrored the pattern seen for all households. Among female heads of households, cat ownership was similar for each type of employment status but retired, which was lower (24.3%).
Table 3-27. Percentage of households that own cats by employment status of the head of household, 2006 All households % 37.2 33.8 24.1 36.0 Female heads % 38.2 39.2 24.3 38.9 Male heads % 37.2 32.2 24.4 36.9
112
Those who owned a home (34.4%) were more likely to own a cat than those who rented (30.3%). However, cat ownership increased in both categories since 2001 (own, 5.5%; rent, 6.3%) (Table 3-28).
Table 3-28. Percentage of households that owned cats by home-ownership status, 19912006 1991 % 31.8 28.4 32.3 1996 % 29.2 26.0 29.7 2001 % 32.6 28.5 32.7 2006 % 34.4 30.3 32.9
People that lived in mobile homes (41.4%), houses (34.6%) and twinplexes/duplexes (32.3%) were more likely to own cats than those living in condominiums (25.4%), apartments (25.3%) or other (27.8%) types of residences.
Table 3-29. Percentage of households that owned cats by type of residence, 2001-2006 2001 % 33.2 22.0 38.1 22.5 30.2 22.3 2006 % 34.6 25.3 41.4 25.4 32.3 27.8
Type of residence House Apartment Mobile Home Condominium Twinplex/Duplex Other
As community size increased, cat ownership decreased in 2006 (Figure 3-10). For example, about four-out-of-ten (39.6%) households in communities with populations less than 100,000 owned cats, compared to three-out-of-ten (30.7%) households in communities with populations of 2 million or more. Cat ownership has increased in communities of all sizes since 2001, particularly in communities with populations of less than 500,000 residents.
Figure 3-10. Percentage of households that owned cats by community size, 2001-2006
29.7% 2,000,000 or more 30.7%
30.3% 500,000 to 1,999,999 32.8%
100,000 to 499,999
33.3% 36.9%
Less than 100,000
36.5% 39.6%
2001 2006
50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
113
Those classified as Asian/Pacific Islander/American Indian/Aleut Eskimo (58.6%) were most likely to consider their cats to be family members in 2006, followed by those classified as Spanish/Hispanic (52.2%), White (49.0%) and Black/African-American (43.3%) (Table 3-30).
Table 3-30. Percentage of households that owned cats by race/ethnicity and humananimal bond: 2006 I consider my cat(s) to be a: Family member Pet/companion % % 49.2 49.4 49.0 49.6 52.2 46.4 43.3 54.1 58.6 40.0
Race and ethnicity All White Spanish/Hispanic Black/African-American Asian/Pacific Islander/ American Indian/Aleut Eskimo
Property % 1.4 1.4 1.3 2.6 1.4
114
Pet Owner Demographics | BIRD
Chapter 5: Bird-owning Households

Households categorized as parents were most likely to own birds (5.5%), followed by couples (3.9%) and singles (2.1%) in 2006 (Table 3-31). Since 2001, bird ownership has remained unchanged among couples, but it has decreased among parents (15.4%) and singles (25.0%).
Table 3-31. Percentage of households that owned birds by life stage, 1991-2006 1991 % 3.4 4.4 8.2 1996 % 3.0* 3.8* 7.3* 2001 % 2.8 3.9 6.5 2006 % 2.1 3.9 5.5 *Estimated
Life stage Singles Couples Parents
Bird ownership declined in almost all life-stage groups in 2006. The retired-older-couple stage was the only group that grew (3.6%) since 2001 (Table 3-32).
Table 3-32. Percentage of households that owned birds by life stage, 1991-2006 1991 % 4.8 3.9 2.2 6.5 4.2 2.9 6.7 10.2 7.8 6.3 1996 % 3.8 3.1 1.4 6.5 4.3 2.2 6.2 9.6 7.0 6.6 2001 % 2.9 3.2 2.1 4.7 4.5 2.8 4.4 7.6 7.5 5.7 2006 % 2.3 2.7 1.3 4.4 4.3 2.9 3.8 6.2 6.2 4.6
115
BIRD | Pet Owner Demographics
Bird ownership was highest among married couples (4.5%), followed by those divorced, widowed or separated (3.9%), and those never married (3.3%) (Figure 3-11).
Figure 3-11. Percentage of households that owned birds by marital status, 2006
25% 20% 15% 10% 5% 4.5% 0% Married Never married Divorced, w idow ed, separated 3.3% 3.9%
Overall, as the size of the household increased, the likelihood of owning a bird increased in 2006 (Table 3-33). For example, 2.1% of one-member households owned birds, compared to 6.6% of households with five or more members in their household.
Table 3-33. Percentage of households that owned birds by size of household, 1991-2006 1991 % 3.4 4.5 6.9 8.6 10.7 1996 % 2.5 4.2 6.3 8.2 9.4 2001 % 2.8 4.0 5.9 6.3 8.3 2006 % 2.1 3.9 5.1 5.4 6.6
A higher rate of smaller-sized households (one-member, 52.4%; two-member, 58.4%; threemember, 53.6%) considered their birds to be family members than four-member (48.3%) or fiveor-more-member (36.8%) households (Table 3-34). Those in four-member (49.9%) households and particularly five-or-more-member (61.4%) households were more likely to have considered their birds to be pets/companions.
Table 3-34. Percentage of households that owned birds by household size and humananimal bond, 2006 I consider my bird(s) to be a: Family member Pet/companion Property % % Household size % All 51.3 46.9 1.7 One member 52.4 44.5 3.1 Two members 58.4 39.9 1.7 Three members 53.6 45.6 0.8 Four members 48.3 49.9 1.8 Five or more members 36.8 61.4 1.8 116 American Veterinary Medical Association
Household income had little impact on the likelihood of owning a bird in 2006 (Figure 3-12). Bird-ownership rates ranged from 4.2% for households with $20,000 to $34,999 incomes to 3.7% for income levels of $55,000 to $84,999 and $85,000 or more.
Figure 3-12. Percentage of households that owned birds by household income, 2001-2006 (Note: 1991-1996 figures not shown; different scales were used at the time)
25%
20%
15%
10%
5% 5.1% 0% 4.4% 4.5% 4.2% 4.8% 4.4% 4.4% 3.7% 4.2% 3.7%
2001 2006
Less than $20,000
$20,000 to $34,999
$35,000 to $54,999
$55,000 to $84,999
$85,000 or more
Households with lower incomes were more likely to consider their birds to be family members than households with higher incomes in 2006 (Table 3-35). For example, 54.8% of households with incomes less than $20,000 considered their birds to be family members, compared to 44.7% of households with incomes of $85,000 or more. Households with higher incomes - $85,000 or more - were more likely to consider their birds to be pets/companions (53.9%).
Table 3-35. Percentage of households that owned birds by household income and human-animal bond, 2006 I consider my bird(s) to be a: Pet/companion % 46.9 42.4 44.4 46.5 47.3 53.9
Family member % 51.3 54.8 54.6 52.4 50.0 44.7
Property % 1.7 2.8 1.0 1.1 2.7 1.3
117
BIRD | Pet Owner Demographics
Among all households, as education level increased, bird ownership decreased in 2006 (Table 3-36). This same pattern was reflected among both female and male heads of households.
Table 3-36. Percentage of households that owned birds by education level of the head of household, 2006 All households % 4.9 4.6 3.4 3.1 Female heads % 5.2 4.8 3.9 3.1 Male heads % 5.1 4.7 3.3 2.9
Among all households, bird ownership was highest among those not employed (5.7%), followed by those working part time (4.5%), and those working full time (4.3%) (Table 3-37). Bird ownership was lowest in retired (2.8%) households. Bird ownership among both female and male heads of households was similar to all households.
Table 3-37. Percentage of households that owned birds by employment status of the head of household, 2006 All households % 4.3 4.5 2.8 5.7 Female heads % 4.5 4.8 2.8 5.4 Male heads % 4.4 4.2 3.1 5.8
Bird ownership was not impacted by whether a household owned or rented their home in 2006 (Table 3-38). However, bird ownership declined regardless of ownership status since 2001 (own, -10.9%; rent, -14.9%).
Table 3-38. Percentage of households that owned birds by home-ownership status, 1991-2006 1991 % 5.5 6.4 7.0 1996 % 5.0 5.5 5.8 2001 % 4.6 4.7 5.2 2006 % 4.1 4.0 3.8
118
Bird ownership was highest among those living in mobile homes (6.4%), followed by houses (4.2%), twinplexes/duplexes (3.2%), other (3.2%) and apartments (3.0%) (Table 3-39). Bird ownership was lowest among those living in condominiums (2.2%).
Table 3-39. Percentage of households that owned birds by type of residence, 2001-2006 2001 % 4.7 3.8 6.5 2.4 4.8 4.5 2006 % 4.2 3.0 6.4 2.2 3.2 3.2
Community size did not impact bird ownership in 2006 (Figure 3-13).
Figure 3-13. Percentage of households that owned birds by community size, 2001-2006
4.8% 2,000,000 or more 4.1%
4.4% 500,000 to 1,999,999 3.8%
4.7% 100,000 to 499,999 4.3%
4.5% Less than 100,000 4.2% 0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25%
2001 2006
Spanish/Hispanic (54.4%) households were most likely to consider their birds to be family members, followed by White households (51.8%), Black/African-American households (44.2%) and those grouped as Asian/Pacific Islander/American Indian/Aleut Eskimo (43.8%) (Table 3-40).
Table 3-40. Percentage of households that owned birds by race/ethnicity and humananimal bond: 2006 I consider my bird(s) to be a: Family member Pet/companion Property % % % 51.3 46.9 1.7 51.8 46.6 1.6 54.4 42.5 3.1 44.2 52.1 3.7 43.8 56.2 0.0 119
Race and ethnicity All White Spanish/Hispanic Black/African-American Asian/Pacific Islander/American Indian/Aleut Eskimo
HORSE | Pet Owner Demographics
Chapter 6: Horse-owning Households

Households categorized as parents were most likely to own horses (2.7%), followed by couples (1.8%) and singles (0.8%) in 2006 (Table 3-41).
Table 3-41. Percentage of households that owned horses by life stage, 1991-2006 1991 % 0.7 2.2 2.8 1996 % 0.8 1.5 2.3 2001 % 0.7 1.7 2.4 2006 % 0.8 1.8 2.7
Life stage Singles Couples Parents
Horse ownership increased among middle singles, older singles, retired older couples, young parents, middle parents and older parents in 2006 (Table 3-42). Horse ownership remained the same for working older couples in the past five years. Horse ownership decreased among young singles, young couples and roommates in the same time period.
Table 3-42. Percentage of households that owned horses by life stage, 1991-2006 1991 % 1.2 0.9 0.3 2.6 2.5 1.5 2.6 2.9 2.8 1.3 1996 % 1.2 1.0 0.3 1.7 1.9 0.9 1.9 2.8 2.3 1.2 2001 % 1.2 0.9 0.2 2.1 2.2 0.9 2.2 2.5 2.4 1.0 2006 % 0.8 1.1 0.5 1.9 2.2 1.3 2.4 3.1 2.7 0.7
120
Pet Owner Demographics | HORSE
Horse ownership was highest among married couples (2.5%), followed by those divorced, widowed or separated (1.2%), and those never married (1.1%) (Figure 3-14).
Figure 3-14. Percentage of households that own horses by marital status, 2006
25% 20% 15% 10% 5% 2.5% 0% Married Never married Divorced, w idow ed, separated 1.1% 1.2%
Overall, as the size of the household increased, the likelihood of owning a horse increased in 2006 (Table 3-43). For example, 0.8% of one-member households owned horses, compared to 3.6% of households with five or more members.
Table 3-43. Percentage of households that owned horses by size of household, 19912006 1991 % 0.7 2.0 2.5 3.1 3.5 1996 % 0.8 1.4 2.2 2.5 2.7 2001 % 0.7 1.6 2.2 2.3 3.2 2006 % 0.8 1.7 2.3 2.7 3.6
121
A higher percentage of smaller-sized households (one-member, 41.8%; two-member, 48.1%) considered their horses to be family members than those three-member (38.4%), four-member (34.4%) or five-or-more-member (24.1%) households (Table 3-44). In contrast, horse owners in four-member (64.4%) and five-or-more-member (65.7%) households considered their horses to be pets/companions. Interestingly, 10.2% of households with five or more members considered their horses to be property, nearly twice as high as any other size household.
Table 3-44. Percentage of households that owned horses by household size and humananimal bond, 2006 I consider my horse(s) to be a: Pet/companion % 56.5 53.0 46.2 58.1 64.4 65.7
Family member % 38.4 41.8 48.1 38.4 34.4 24.1
Property % 5.1 5.3 5.7 3.5 1.2 10.2
In 2006, the likelihood of owning a horse increased as household income increased (Figure 3-15). The exception was in the $55,000 to $84,999 income range, where ownership dipped slightly to 1.9%. Households with incomes less than $20,000 were least likely to own horses (1.5%), whereas households with incomes $85,000 or higher were most likely to own horses (2.3%).
Figure 3-15. Percentage of households that owned horses by household income, 2001-2006 (Note: 1991-1996 figures not shown; different scales were used at the time)
25%
20%
15%
10%
5%
2001
1.0% 1.5% 0% 1.3% 1.7% 2.0% 2.1% 2.1% 1.9% 2.1% 2.3%
2006
Less than $20,000
$20,000 to $34,999
$35,000 to $54,999
$55,000 to $84,999
$85,000 or more
122
Pet Owner Demographics | HORSE
Households with income levels less than $20,000 were more likely to consider their horses to be family members (49.0%) than those with higher income levels (ranges between 36.1% and 37.7%) in 2006 (Table 3-45).
Table 3-45. Percentage of households that owned horses by household income and human-animal bond, 2006 I consider my horse(s) to be a: Pet/companion % 56.5 44.1 56.6 58.6 58.7 59.9
Family member % 38.4 49.0 37.7 36.1 36.9 36.2
Property % 5.1 6.9 5.7 5.4 4.4 3.9
Among all households, horse ownership decreased as education level increased in 2006 (Table 346). For example, 2.3% of households with high school or less education owned horses, compared to 1.6% of households with advanced degrees. The rates were dispersed similarly among male heads of households, but they didnt follow the same pattern among female heads of households. Among female heads of households, horse ownership was highest among those who were college graduates (2.3%).
Table 3-46. Percentage of households that owned horses by education level of the head of household, 2006 All households % 2.3 1.9 1.7 1.6 Female heads % 2.0 2.0 2.3 2.0 Male heads % 2.8 2.3 1.9 1.5
Horse ownership was highest among those working full time (2.3%), followed by those working part time (1.9%), not employed (1.6%) and retired (1.1%) (Table 3-47).
Table 3-47. Percentage of households that owned horses by employment status of the head of household, 2006 All households % 2.3 1.9 1.1 1.6 Female heads % 2.3 2.9 1.0 2.3 Male heads % 2.5 2.2 1.4 1.8
123
Horse ownership was highest among those who owned a home (2.1%) versus those who rented their home (1.1%) in 2006 (Table 3-48). However, horse ownership increased regardless of ownership status since 2001 (own, 10.5%; rent, 22.2%).
Table 3-48. Percentage of households that owned horses by home-ownership status, 1991-2006 1991 % 2.3 1.0 5.5 1996 % 1.8 0.9 1.6 2001 % 1.9 0.9 1.7 2006 % 2.1 1.1 2.5
In 2006, people who lived in mobile homes (3.3%) or houses (2.1%) were more likely to own horses compared to those living in twinplexes/duplexes (0.5%), apartments (0.5%), condominiums (0.3%), or other (1.9%) types of residences (Table 3-49).
Table 3-49. Percentage of households that owned horses by type of residence, 2001-2006 2001 2006 Type of residence % % House 1.9 2.1 Apartment 0.3 0.5 Mobile home 3.0 3.3 Condominium 0.4 0.3 Twinplex/Duplex 1.0 0.5 Other 1.9 1.9
As community size increased, horse ownership decreased in 2006 (Figure 3-16). For example, 4.6% of households in communities with populations of less than 100,000 people owned horses compared to 1.0% of households in communities with populations of 2 million or more. While horse ownership in communities with populations of 2 million or more has not changed since 2001, horse ownership has grown in smaller communities during that timeframe.
Figure 3-16. Percentage of households that owned horses by community size, 2001-2006
1.0% 2,000,000 or more 1.0%
1.2% 500,000 to 1,999,999 1.8%
1.8% 100,000 to 499,999 2.5%
3.6% Less than 100,000 4.6% 0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25%
2001 2006
124
Pet Owner Demographics | SUMMARY TABLES
Pet Owner Demographics Summary Tables

Table 3-50. Percentage of households that owned pets by life stage, 2006 (Example: 21.9% of single households owned a dog.) All Pets % 42.1 49.1 46.9 31.9 59.8 71.3 62.8 45.4 70.5 67.7 74.6 70.1 67.8 Dog % 21.9 23.7 24.7 16.7 38.0 44.8 40.5 28.5 50.0 46.2 55.3 49.8 42.2 Cat % 24.7 30.5 27.5 17.8 33.1 41.4 34.5 23.8 39.0 36.6 42.2 39.0 38.5 Bird % 2.1 2.3 2.7 1.3 3.9 4.4 4.3 2.9 5.5 3.8 6.2 6.2 4.6 Horse % 0.8 0.8 1.1 0.5 1.8 1.9 2.2 1.3 2.7 2.4 3.1 2.7 0.7
Life stage Singles Young singles Middle singles Older singles Couples Young couples Working older couples Retired older couples Parents Young parents Middle parents Older parents Roommates
125
SUMMARY TABLES | Pet Owner Demographics Table 3-51. Percentage of households that owned pets by size of household, household income, ownership status, type of residence and community size, 2006 (Example. 21.9% of one member households owned a dog.) All Pets % Size of household One member Two members Three members Four members Five or more members Household income Less than $20,000 $20,000 to $34,999 $35,000 to $54,999 $55,000 to $84,999 $85,000 or more Home-ownership status Own Rent Other Type of residence House Apartment Mobile home Condominium Twinplex/Duplex Other Community size Less than 100,000 100,000 to 499,999 500,000 to 1,999,999 2,000,000 or more 42.1 59.8 69.3 71.7 72.5 Dog % 21.9 37.6 47.5 51.9 54.3 Cat % 24.7 33.4 39.1 38.5 40.0 Bird % 2.1 3.9 5.1 5.4 6.6 Horse % 0.8 1.7 2.3 2.7 3.6
51.3 57.3 60.6 64.2 63.6
30.7 37.3 39.8 42.8 42.1
30.1 33.6 34.1 35.5 33.3
4.4 4.2 4.4 3.7 3.7
1.5 1.7 2.1 1.9 2.3
62.3 50.5 59.6
42.1 26.7 41.7
34.4 30.3 32.9
4.1 4.0 3.8
2.1 1.1 2.5
63.4 39.5 68.5 41.7 55.7 47.6
43.2 14.7 50.2 18.4 29.9 27.3
34.6 25.3 41.4 25.4 32.3 27.8
4.2 3.0 6.4 2.2 3.2 3.2
2.1 0.5 3.3 0.3 0.5 1.9
66.9 64.5 60.4 55.4
49.8 44.0 39.7 33.3
39.6 36.9 32.8 30.7
4.2 4.3 3.8 4.1
4.6 2.5 1.8 1.0
126
Pet Owner Demographics | SUMMARY TABLES Table 3-52. Percentage of households that owned pets by education level of the head of household, 2006 (Example: 41.6% of all heads of households with an education level of high school or less owned a dog.) All Pets % All households High school or less Attended college College graduate Advanced degree Households with female heads High school or less Attended college College graduate Advanced degree Households with male heads High school or less Attended college College graduate Advanced degree 60.3 60.8 60.2 54.7 Dogs % 41.6 40.1 37.5 32.2 Cats % 33.7 34.0 34.0 30.4 Birds % 4.9 4.6 3.4 3.1 Horses % 2.3 1.9 1.7 1.6
59.8 63.8 65.2 60.6
41.2 42.9 41.3 36.4
32.8 36.6 37.3 33.9
5.2 4.8 3.9 3.1
2.0 2.0 2.3 2.0
64.7 63.4 61.1 55.0
46.5 43.6 39.5 33.3
35.8 34.6 33.8 29.4
5.1 4.7 3.3 2.9
2.8 2.3 1.9 1.5
127
SUMMARY TABLES | Pet Owner Demographics Table 3-53. Percentage of households that owned pets by marital status, employment status of head of household and race and ethnicity, 2006 (Example: 44.3% of households with full time employment status for the head of household owned a dog.) All Pets % Marital status Married Never married Divorced, widowed, separated Employment status All households Full time Part time Retired Not employed Households with female heads Full time Part time Retired Not employed Households with male heads Full time Part time Retired Not employed Race and ethnicity White Spanish/Hispanic Black/African-American Asian/Pacific Islander/American Indian/Aleut Eskimo 65.9 50.7 51.3 Dogs % 45.3 28.0 31.2 Cats % 36.0 29.8 29.7 Birds % 4.5 3.3 3.9 Horses % 2.5 1.1 1.2
66.5 55.5 45.0 61.3
44.3 32.3 28.2 39.3
37.2 33.8 24.1 36.0
4.3 4.5 2.8 5.7
2.3 1.9 1.1 1.6
67.6 67.9 45.0 67.1
44.6 44.0 27.8 45.7
38.2 39.2 24.3 38.9
4.5 4.8 2.8 5.4
2.3 2.9 1.0 2.3
67.6 55.4 46.3 64.3
46.3 34.2 29.9 43.7
37.2 32.2 24.4 36.9
4.4 4.2 3.1 5.8
2.5 2.2 1.4 1.8
63.1 57.5 26.6 49.4
40.9 40.1 17.2 30.9
36.1 28.0 8.9 23.4
4.3 5.5 1.4 4.4
2.1 1.3 0.2 1.2
128
Pet Owner Profiles | ALL PETS
SECTION 4 Pet Owner Profiles

In Section 3, the percentage of households that owned pets was compared across selected household characteristics. Another way to evaluate pet-owning households is to compare them to the distribution of all households that responded to the survey, which also included those that did not own pets. These comparisons were made across selected demographic categories: life stage, marital status, household size, household income, education level, employment status, ownership status, type of residence, community size and ethnicity. The household life-stage method was used to classify households based on family characteristics. Just as in Section 3, there were three main life-stage groups: singles, couples and parents. These main groupings were then broken down into 10 life-stage subgroups. The 10 household life-stage subgroups were classified as: 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) 7) 8) 9) 10) Young singles: one member, younger than 35 years old. Middle singles: one member, 35 to 65 years old. Older singles: one member, older than 65 years old. Young couple: multiple members, household head younger than 45 years old, no children. Working older couple: multiple members, household head 45 or older, household head employed, no children. Retired older couple: multiple members, household head 45 or older, household head not employed, no children. Young parent: multiple members, household head younger than 45 years old, youngest child younger than 6 years old. Middle parent: multiple members, household head younger than 45 years old, youngest child 6 or older. Older parent: multiple members, household head 45 or older, children of any age present. Roommates: multiple members, unmarried head of household living with non-relative 18 years or older.
129
ALL PETS | Pet Owner Profiles
Life Stage
There were differences in the distribution of pet-owing households by life stage, compared to all households (Figure 4-1). Nearly half (48.0%) of pet-owning households were categorized as parents versus 40.5% of all households, and fewer pet-owning households were singles (18.9%) versus all households (26.8%). Households classified as couples were similar for both pet-owning (31.3%) and all households (31.1%).
Figure 4-1. Distribution of households that owned pets by life stage, 2006
All pet-ow ning households
18.9%
31.3%
48.0%
1.8%
All households
26.8%
31.1%
40.5%
1.6%
0%
10%
20% Singles
30%
40%
50% Parents
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Couples
Roommates
130
Among the 10 life-stage groups, pet-owning households were more likely than U.S. households to be young couples, working older couples, young parents, middle parents, older parents and roommates (Table 4-1). Of the 10 groups, the biggest difference was among older singles, where 4.9% of pet-owning households were older singles, compared to 9.1% of all households. While to varying rates, dog- and cat-owning households shared the same life stage groups as petowning households. Bird-owning households shared most of the same life stage groups as other pets, except they had a lower percentage of young parents (11.6%), compared to all households (12.4%). Horse-owning households shared most of the same lifestage groups as pet-owning households except they had a lower percentage of young couples (8.7%) compared to all households (8.8%).
Table 4-1. Distribution of households that owned pets versus all households, both petowning and nonpet-owning, by life stage, 2006 All Households % 26.8 3.9 13.7 9.1 31.1 8.8 12.7 9.6 40.5 12.4 9.8 18.4 1.6
All Pets % 18.9 3.2 10.8 4.9 31.3 10.5 13.4 7.4 48.0 14.1 12.3 21.6 1.8
Dog % 15.1 2.4 8.8 3.9 30.6 10.2 13.3 7.1 52.5 14.8 14.1 23.7 1.8
Cat % 19.8 3.6 11.3 4.9 30.9 10.9 13.1 6.9 47.5 13.6 12.4 21.5 1.9
Bird % 13.9 2.2 8.9 2.8 29.7 9.5 13.3 6.9 54.6 11.6 14.9 28.1 1.8
Horse % 11.9 1.6 7.7 2.6 30.0 8.7 14.7 6.6 57.5 15.4 16.2 26.0 0.6
131
Marital Status
A higher percentage of pet-owning households were married (63.3%), compared to all households (57.2%) (Figure 4-2).
Figure 4-2. Distribution of households that owned pets by marital status, 2006
63.3%
16.4%
20.4%
All households
57.2%
19.2%
23.6%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Married
Never married
Divorced, w idow ed, separated
Furthermore, 67.0% of dog owners, 61.8% of cat owners, 62.3% of bird owners and 73.9% of horse owners were married (Table 4-2).
Table 4-2. Distribution of households that owned pets versus all households, both petowning and nonpet-owning, by marital status, 2006 All Households % 57.2 19.2 23.6 All Pets % 63.3 16.4 20.4
Marital status Married Never married Divorced, widowed, separated
Dogs % 67.0 13.9 19.0
Cats % 61.8 17.2 21.0
Birds % 62.3 15.3 22.4
Horses % 73.9 11.0 15.0
132
Household Size
Pet-owning households tended to have more members per household than all households. For example, 81.1% of pet-owning households had two or more people per household, compared to 73.2% of all households (Figure 4-3).
Figure 4-3. Distribution of households that owned pets by size of household, 2006
18.9%
33.3%
18.7%
17.3%
11.7%
All households
26.8%
33.1%
16.1%
14.4%
9.6%
0%
10%
20%
30% 1 2
40% 3 4
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
5 or more
In addition, 84.8% of those owning dogs, 80.2% of those owning cats, 86.1% of those owning birds and 88.1% of those owning horses had two or more people per household (Table 4-3).
Table 4-3. Distribution of households that owned pets versus all households, both petowning and nonpet-owning, by household size, 2006 All Households % 26.8 33.1 16.1 14.4 9.6
Size of household One member Two members Three members Four members Five or more members
All Pets % 18.9 33.3 18.7 17.3 11.7
Dog % 15.2 32.2 19.8 19.3 13.5
Cat % 19.8 33.2 18.9 16.6 11.5
Bird % 13.9 31.8 20.0 18.9 15.4
Horse % 11.9 29.8 19.9 20.1 18.3
133
Household Income
A slightly larger proportion of pet-owning households had higher incomes, compared to U.S. households (Figure 4-4). For example, 43.4% of pet-owning households had incomes of $55,000 or more versus 40.4% of all U.S. households.
Figure 4-4. Distribution of households that owned pets by household income, 2006
16.1%
19.9%
20.6%
20.5%
22.9%
All households
18.7%
20.7%
20.2%
19.0%
21.4%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Less than $20,000 $55,000 to $84,999
$20,000 to $34,999 $85,000 or more
$35,000 to $54,999
Moreover, 44.4% of dog owners, 41.6% of cat owners, 37.1% of bird owners and 44.6% horse owners had incomes of $55,000 or more (Table 4-4).
Table 4-4. Distribution of households that owned pets versus all households, both petowning and nonpet-owning, by household income, 2006 All Households % 18.7 20.7 20.2 19.0 21.4
All Pets % 16.1 19.9 20.6 20.5 22.9
Dog % 14.9 19.9 20.8 21.0 23.4
Cat % 16.9 20.8 20.6 20.2 21.4
Bird % 20.2 21.2 21.5 17.4 19.7
Horse % 14.6 18.8 21.9 18.6 26.0
134
Education Level of the Head of Household

The distribution of pet-owing households by education level of the head of household closely matched all households (Figure 4-5). For example, 30.6% of pet-owning heads of households did not attend college, which was similar to 30.2% of all heads of households.
Figure 4-5. Distribution of households that owned pets by education level of the head of household, 2006
30.6%
25.4%
31.0%
12.1% 0.9%
All households
30.2%
24.9%
30.6%
13.2%
1.1%
0%
10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100% Attended college College graduate Advanced degree Did not specify
High school or less
135
However, a slightly higher percentage of dog owners (32.5%), bird owners (36.4%) and horse owners (36.4%) did not attend college, compared to all households (30.2%) (Table 4-5). The education level of cat owners closely matched all households, even when distinguishing between male heads and female heads of households.
Table 4-5. Distribution of households that owned pets versus all households, both petowning and nonpet-owning, by education level of the head of household, 2006 All Households All households High school or less Attended college College graduate Advanced degree Did not specify Households with female heads High school or less Attended college College graduate Advanced degree Did not specify Households with male heads High school or less Attended college College graduate Advanced degree Did not specify
%
All Pets
%
Dogs
%
Cats
%
Birds
%
Horses
%
30.2 24.9 30.6 13.2 1.1 29.3 25.8 31.9 11.1 2.0 29.0 23.4 31.2 14.1 2.3
30.6 25.4 31.0 12.1 0.9 28.0 26.3 33.3 10.7 1.6 30.4 24.0 30.9 12.5 2.2
32.5 25.8 29.8 11.0 0.9 29.4 27.0 32.1 9.8 1.7 32.5 24.5 29.7 11.3 2.1
30.5 25.4 31.3 12.0 0.8 27.2 26.8 33.7 10.6 1.6 30.7 23.9 31.1 12.2 2.1
36.4 27.7 25.3 9.9 0.7 34.7 28.0 28.2 7.9 1.3 35.9 26.4 25.1 9.9 2.6
36.4 25.0 27.1 11.1 0.4 28.4 25.2 34.8 10.8 0.8 37.1 24.8 26.6 9.6 1.9
136
Employment Status of the Head of Household

The distribution of pet-owning households by employment status varied from the distribution of all households (Figure 4-6). A higher percentage of pet-owning heads of households were more likely to be employed full time (64.9%), compared to all heads of households (58.1%), whereas a lower percentage of pet-owning heads of households were retired (15.7%), compared to all heads of households (20.8%).
Figure 4-6. Distribution of households that owned pets by employment status of the head of household, 2006
64.9%
6.9%
15.7%
7.9%
4.5%
All households
58.1%
7.4%
20.8%
7.7%
6.0%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40% Part time
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Full time
Retired
Not employed
Did not specify
137
Furthermore, 66.6% of those owning dogs, 64.8% of those owning cats, 61.8% of those owning birds and 70.7% of those owning horses worked full time (Table 4-6). In addition, 15.2% of those owning dogs, 15.1% of those owning cats, 14.5% of those owning birds and 12.3% of those owning horses were retired. Male and female heads of households owning any species of pets were more likely to work full time and less likely to be retired, compared to male and female heads of all households.
Table 4-6. Distribution of households that owned pets versus all households, both petowning and nonpet-owning, by employment status of the head of household, 2006 All All Households Pets Dogs Cats Birds Horses All households % % % % % % Full time 58.1 64.9 66.6 64.8 61.8 70.7 Part time 7.4 6.9 6.2 7.5 8.1 7.5 Retired 20.8 15.7 15.2 15.1 14.5 12.3 Not employed 7.7 7.9 7.9 8.3 10.7 6.6 Did not specify 6.0 4.5 4.2 4.3 4.9 2.8 Households with female heads Full time 41.4 44.8 45.1 44.8 42.3 45.9 Part time 14.7 16.0 15.8 16.4 16.0 20.3 16.9 Retired 12.2 11.5 11.7 10.8 8.0 Not employed 19.0 20.4 21.2 21.0 23.5 20.5 Did not specify 7.9 6.6 6.4 6.1 7.3 5.3 Households with male heads Full time 64.4 70.5 71.6 70.6 68.2 74.2 Part time 5.7 5.1 4.7 5.4 5.7 5.7 Retired 20.0 15.0 14.4 14.4 15.1 12.7 Not employed 5.5 5.7 5.8 6.0 7.6 4.6 Did not specify 4.5 3.8 3.6 3.6 3.3 2.8
138
Home-ownership Status
Pet owners were more likely than all households to own homes (Figure 4-7). For example, 76.9% of pet-owning households owned a home versus 73.4% of all households.
Figure 4-7. Distribution of households that owned pets by home-ownership status, 2006
76.9%
18.1%
4.1% 0.9%
All households
73.4%
21.3%
4.1% 1.2%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60% Other
70%
80%
90%
100%
Ow ned ow n home
Rented
Did not specify
In addition, 80.1% of dog owners, 75.7% of cat owners, 74.4% of bird owners and 82.1% of horse owners owned a home (Table 4-7).
Table 4-7. Distribution of households that owned pets versus all households, both petowning and nonpet-owning, by ownership status, 2006 All Households % 73.4 21.3 4.1 1.2
Ownership status Own Rent Other Did not specify
All Pets % 76.9 18.1 4.1 0.9
Dog % 80.1 14.7 4.4 0.8
Cat % 75.7 19.4 4.0 0.9
Bird % 74.4 20.8 3.9 1.0
Horse % 82.1 12.1 5.5 0.3
139
Type of Residence
Pet owners were also more likely to have lived in houses compared to all households (Figure 4-8). Overall, 78.0% of pet owners lived in houses versus 73.2% of all households.
Figure 4-8. Distribution of households that owned pets by type of residence, 2006
78.0%
8.3% 7.4% 6.3%
All households
73.2%
12.5% 6.5% 7.9%
0%
10%
20% House
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Apartment
Mobile home
All other*
*All other includes: condominium, twinplex/duplex, other and did not specify
Furthermore, 81.9% of those owning dogs, 75.9% of those owning cats, 75.3% of those owning birds and 82.4% of those owning horses lived in houses (Table 4-8).
Table 4-8. Distribution of households that owned pets versus all households, both petowning and nonpet-owning, by type of residence, 2006 All Households % 73.2 12.5 6.5 4.0 1.8 1.2 0.9
Type of residence House Apartment Mobile home Condominium Twinplex/Duplex Other Did not specify
All Pets % 78.0 8.3 7.4 2.8 1.7 1.0 0.8
Dog % 81.9 4.8 8.4 1.9 1.4 0.9 0.8
Cat % 75.9 9.5 8.0 3.0 1.8 1.0 0.8
Bird % 75.3 9.3 10.1 2.1 1.4 1.0 0.8
Horse % 82.4 3.3 11.3 0.7 0.4 1.3 0.7
140
Community Size
The distribution of pet-owning households by community size was fairly similar to the distribution of all households in 2006 (Figure 4-9). However, communities with smaller populations had a slightly higher rate of pet ownership, compared to all households. For example, 31.9% of pet-owning households were in communities with populations less than 500,000 versus 29.0% of all households.
Figure 4-9. Distribution of households that owned pets by community size, 2006
14.8%
17.1%
23.4%
44.6%
All households
13.2%
15.8%
23.1%
47.9%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Less than 100,000
100,000 to 499,999
500,000 to 1,999,999
2,000,000 or more
Moreover, 35.0% of dog owners, 33.2% of cat owners, 30.2% of bird owners and over half (52.7%) of horse owners lived in communities with populations less than 500,000 (Table 4-9).
Table 4-9. Distribution of households that owned pets versus all households, both petowning and nonpet-owning, by community size, 2006 All Households % 13.2 15.8 23.1 47.9
Community size Less than 100,000 100,000 to 499,999 500,000 to 1,999,999 2,000,000 or more
All Pets % 14.8 17.1 23.4 44.6
Dog % 17.0 18.0 23.7 41.2
Cat % 15.7 17.5 22.7 44.1
Bird % 13.5 16.7 21.4 48.4
Horse % 31.9 20.8 22.0 25.4
141
Race and Ethnicity

The distribution of pet-owing households by race and ethnicity of the head of household varied from the distribution of all households in 2006 (Figure 4-10). A higher percentage of pet owners were White (88.6%) compared to all households (83.6%), while a lower percentage of pet owners were Black/African American (3.5%) compared to all households (7.8%). There were fewer pet owners who were Asian/Pacific Islander/American Indian/Aleut Eskimo (2.0%) compared to all households (2.4%). Spanish/Hispanic ethnicity was similar among pet-owning households (3.2%) and all households (3.3%).
Figure 4-10. Distribution of households that owned pets by race and ethnicity, 2006
88.6%
3.2% 3.5% 2.0% 2.8%
All households
83.6%
3.3% 7.8% 2.4% 3.0%
0%
10%
20%
30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% White Spanish/Hispanic Black/African-American Asian/Pac. Islnd./Amer. Indian/Aleut Eskimo Other/Did not specify
100%
A higher percentage of dog owners, cat owners, bird owners and horse owners were White compared to all households (Table 4-10). A higher percentage of dog owners and bird owners were Spanish/Hispanic compared to all households. A lower percentage of dog owners, cat owners, bird owners and horse owners were Black/African-American compared to all households. A lower percentage of dog owners, cat owners and horse owners were Asian/Pacific Islander/American Indian/Aleut Eskimo compared to all households.
Table 4-10. Distribution of households that owned all pets, dogs, cats, birds and horses pets by race and ethnicity, 2006 All Households % 83.6 3.3 7.8 2.4 0.9 2.1
Race and ethnicity White Spanish/Hispanic Black/African-American Asian/Pacific Islander/American Indian/Aleut Eskimo Other Did not specify 142
All Pets % 88.6 3.2 3.5 2.0 0.9 1.9
Dog % 88.6 3.4 3.5 1.9 0.8 1.8
Cat % 90.6 2.8 2.1 1.6 0.9 1.9
Bird % 87.7 4.4 2.6 2.5 0.9 1.8
Horse % 92.5 2.3 1.0 1.5 1.1 1.7
Pet Owner Profiles | SUMMARY TABLES
Pet Owner Profiles Summary Tables

Table 4-11. Distribution of households that owned pets versus all pet-owning and nonpetowning households by life stage, 2006 (Example: 15.1% of those who owned a dog were single.) All Households % 26.8 3.9 13.7 9.1 31.1 8.8 12.7 9.6 40.5 12.4 9.8 18.4 1.6
All Pets % 18.9 3.2 10.8 4.9 31.3 10.5 13.4 7.4 48.0 14.1 12.3 21.6 1.8
Dog % 15.1 2.4 8.8 3.9 30.6 10.2 13.3 7.1 52.5 14.8 14.1 23.7 1.8
Cat % 19.8 3.6 11.3 4.9 30.9 10.9 13.1 6.9 47.5 13.6 12.4 21.5 1.9
Bird % 13.9 2.2 8.9 2.8 29.7 9.5 13.3 6.9 54.6 11.6 14.9 28.1 1.8
Horse % 11.9 1.6 7.7 2.6 30.0 8.7 14.7 6.6 57.5 15.4 16.2 26.0 0.6
143
SUMMARY TABLES | Pet Owner Profiles Table 4-12. Distribution of households that owned pets versus all pet-owning and nonpetowning households by size of household, household income, ownership status, type of residence and community size, 2006 (Example: 15.2% of those who owned a dog were one-member households.) All Households % Size of household One member Two members Three members Four members Five or more members Household income Less than $20,000 $20,000 to $34,999 $35,000 to $54,999 $55,000 to $84,999 $85,000 or more Ownership status Own Rent Other Did not specify Type of residence House Apartment Mobile home Condominium Twinplex/Duplex Other Did not specify Community size Less than 100,000 100,000 to 499,999 500,000 to 1,999,999 2,000,000 or more 26.8 33.1 16.1 14.4 9.6
All Pets % 18.9 33.3 18.7 17.3 11.7
Dog % 15.2 32.2 19.8 19.3 13.5
Cat % 19.8 33.2 18.9 16.6 11.5
Bird % 13.9 31.8 20.0 18.9 15.4
Horse % 11.9 29.8 19.9 20.1 18.3
18.7 20.7 20.2 19.0 21.4
16.1 19.9 20.6 20.5 22.9
14.9 19.9 20.8 21.0 23.4
16.9 20.8 20.6 20.2 21.4
20.2 21.2 21.5 17.4 19.7
14.6 18.8 21.9 18.6 26.0
73.4 21.3 4.1 1.2
76.9 18.1 4.1 0.9
80.1 14.7 4.4 0.8
75.7 19.4 4.0 0.9
74.4 20.8 3.9 1.0
82.1 12.1 5.5 0.3
73.2 12.5 6.5 4.0 1.8 1.2 0.9
78.0 8.3 7.4 2.8 1.7 1.0 0.8
81.9 4.8 8.4 1.9 1.4 0.9 0.8
75.9 9.5 8.0 3.0 1.8 1.0 0.8
75.3 9.3 10.1 2.1 1.4 1.0 0.8
82.4 3.3 11.3 0.7 0.4 1.3 0.7
13.2 15.8 23.1 47.9
14.8 17.1 23.4 44.6
17.0 18.0 23.7 41.2
15.7 17.5 22.7 44.1
13.5 16.7 21.4 48.4
31.9 20.8 22.0 25.4
144
Pet Owner Profiles | SUMMARY TABLES Table 4-13. Distribution of households that owned pets versus all pet-owning and nonpetowning households by education level of the head of household, 2006 (Example: 32.5% of those who owned a dog had high school or less education) All Households % All households High school or less Attended college College graduate Advanced degree Did not specify Households with female heads High school or less Attended college College graduate Advanced degree Did not specify Households with male heads High school or less Attended college College graduate Advanced degree Did not specify 30.2 24.9 30.6 13.2 1.1
All Pets % 30.6 25.4 31.0 12.1 0.9
Dogs % 32.5 25.8 29.8 11.0 0.9
Cats % 30.5 25.4 31.3 12.0 0.8
Birds % 36.4 27.7 25.3 9.9 0.7
Horses % 36.4 25.0 27.1 11.1 0.4
29.3 25.8 31.9 11.1 2.0
28.0 26.3 33.3 10.7 1.6
29.4 27.0 32.1 9.8 1.7
27.2 26.8 33.7 10.6 1.6
34.7 28.0 28.2 7.9 1.3
28.4 25.2 34.8 10.8 0.8
29.0 23.4 31.2 14.1 2.3
30.4 24.0 30.9 12.5 2.2
32.5 24.5 29.7 11.3 2.1
30.7 23.9 31.1 12.2 2.1
35.9 26.4 25.1 9.9 2.6
37.1 24.8 26.6 9.6 1.9
145
SUMMARY TABLES | Pet Owner Profiles Table 4-14. Distribution of households that owned pets versus all pet-owning and nonpetowning households by marital status, employment status of head of household and race and ethnicity, 2006 (Example: 67.0% of those who owned a dog were married.) All Households % Marital status Married Never married Divorced, widowed, separated Employment status All households Full time Part time Retired Not employed Did not specify Households with female heads Full time Part time Retired Not employed Did not specify Households with male heads Full time Part time Retired Not employed Did not specify Race and ethnicity White Spanish/Hispanic Black/African-American Asian/Pacific Islander/American Indian/Aleut Eskimo Other Did not specify 57.2 19.2 23.6 All Pets % 63.3 16.4 20.4
Dogs % 67.0 13.9 19.0
Cats % 61.8 17.2 21.0
Birds % 62.3 15.3 22.4
Horses % 73.9 11.0 15.0
58.1 7.4 20.8 7.7 6.0
64.9 6.9 15.7 7.9 4.5
66.6 6.2 15.2 7.9 4.2
64.8 7.5 15.1 8.3 4.3
61.8 8.1 14.5 10.7 4.9
70.7 7.5 12.3 6.6 2.8
41.4 14.7 16.9 19.0 7.9
44.8 16.0 12.2 20.4 6.6
45.1 15.8 11.5 21.2 6.4
44.8 16.4 11.7 21.0 6.1
42.3 16.0 10.8 23.5 7.3
45.9 20.3 8.0 20.5 5.3
64.4 5.7 20.0 5.5 4.5
70.5 5.1 15.0 5.7 3.8
71.6 4.7 14.4 5.8 3.6
70.6 5.4 14.4 6.0 3.6
68.2 5.7 15.1 7.6 3.3
74.2 5.7 12.7 4.6 2.8
83.6 3.3 7.8 2.4 0.9 2.1
88.6 3.2 3.5 2.0 0.9 1.9
88.6 3.4 3.5 1.9 0.8 1.8
90.6 2.8 2.1 1.6 0.9 1.9
87.7 4.4 2.6 2.5 0.9 1.8
92.5 2.3 1.0 1.5 1.1 1.7
146
Appendix A | STUDY METHOD
APPENDIX A Study Method

Methodology
The American Veterinary Medical Association retained Irwin Broh & Associates Inc. to conduct the research for this study. A questionnaire was distributed by mail to 80,000 U.S. households randomly selected from the MySurvey.com panel of TNS Custom Research Inc. The sample was selected to be representative of all U.S. households with respect to market size, age of household head, household size and income within each of the nine Census regions. The sample also matched Census quotas for family versus nonfamily households, as well by state and the top 25 Metropolitan Statistical Areas.
Questionnaire
The questionnaire was mailed the first week of January 2007 and completed questionnaires were accepted through the last week of February 2007. A total of 47,842 (59.8%) completed questionnaires were received and used in the analysis. The person in the household most responsible for pet care was asked to indicate their age and sex and to complete the remainder of the questionnaire. This person was requested to indicate the number of animals owned anytime during 2006; the number of animals owned on December 31, 2006; the number of animals owned on December 31, 2006 by age; the total number of times each animal was seen by veterinarians; and the total amount that was spent on each animal at the veterinarian in 2006. Seven species of animals were specifically listed: dogs, cats, birds, horses, fish, ferrets and rabbits. Fish, ferrets and rabbits were also specifically listed on the questionnaire used to collect data for 2001 and 1996 but not in 1991 or 1987. Two additional spaces were available for respondents to list other species of companion animals with an indication to Include: rodents (guinea pigs, gerbils, hamsters, etc.), reptiles (snakes, lizards, turtles, etc.), livestock and poultry. It is widely acknowledged that horses are commonly owned and cared for by ranches, farms and other horse operations. However, this survey only addressed horses owned by households. Respondents indicated the number of animals in four age classes: less than 1 year; 1 to 5 years; 6 to 10 years; and 11 years or older. These categories were the same as those on the 2001 and 1996 survey but differed slightly from those used on the 1991 and 1987 survey (1 year or younger and 2 to 5 years). Other information requested pertained to the households last veterinary medical visit. Respondents were asked the date of the last veterinary visit; how much was spent on the last veterinary visit; the reasons for selecting the veterinarian that was last visited; and the products and services that were provided during the last visit. It should be noted that because this data was derived from a survey of households, the results should not be considered a census of the pet population. Rather they are estimates based on a sample and therefore are subject to sampling error.
147
STUDY METHOD | Appendix A
Calculations
In this publication, there were two measurements used when extrapolating findings to the entire U.S. population. For statistics that involve pet and pet owner populations, households that owned animals on December 31, 2006, were used in calculations. However, to determine expenditures and utilization of services for the entire year of 2006, households that owned pets anytime during 2006 were used in calculations. In previous editions of the U.S. Pet Ownership and Demographic Sourcebook, population, expenditure and service utilization calculations were all made using December 31 data. Beginning with this edition, the AVMA determined that pets owned anytime during the year would provide a more accurate calculation of spending and utilization since the services were provided to the larger population of animals owned at anytime, as opposed to just those owned at year's end.
Statistical Inference
The percentage estimates derived from the survey results were used to calculate national population estimates. The precision of the estimates is influenced by the sample size and the variation of the characteristic being analyzed in the population. National estimates of the pet population were estimated with reasonable precision. The percentage of households that owned dogs and cats was also estimated for each state. However, because the sample sizes in each state were less than the national sample, the statistical error associated with the estimated percentages for states would be larger than the statistical error associated with the national sample. The percentage of households that owned birds or horses was estimated at the regional level.
148
Sample Representativeness
The respondent group was compared with the total mail sample and the nonrespondents group in regard to various household characteristics, market size and geographic distribution to determine representativeness of the respondent group. The respondent group was representative of the population by family household designations (Table A-1). Respondent percentages were within one percentage point of mail sample percentages except for females living alone and females living with relatives. Females living alone were slightly overrepresented in the respondent sample and females living with relatives were slightly underrepresented.
Table A-1. Sample representativeness: Family household designation Mail Sample 52.0 3.2 12.6 9.9 16.9 2.0 3.3 Respondents 51.8 2.8 11.1 10.9 18.7 1.7 3.0 Nonrespondents 52.5 3.9 14.9 8.4 13.8 2.5 4.1
Husband and wife Male-no wife, other relative Female-no husband, other relative Male-alone Female-alone Male-nonrelative Female-nonrelative
The respondent group was fairly representative of the population by life-stage categories (Table A-2). Middle singles, older singles, working older couples and retired older couples were slightly overrepresented. Young couples, young parents and middle parents were slightly underrepresented.
Table A-2. Sample representativeness: Life stage Mail Sample 3.8 13.8 9.2 8.8 12.8 9.2 12.6 10.2 17.9 1.7 Respondents 2.9 15.1 11.7 6.8 14.7 12.1 8.5 8.0 18.8 1.4 Nonrespondents 5.4 11.5 5.3 11.9 9.9 4.7 18.9 13.5 16.6 2.2
Young singles Middle singles Older singles Young couples Working older couples Retired older couples Young parents Middle parents Older parents Roommates
149
The respondent group was fairly representative of the population by market size (Table A-3). Respondent percentages were slightly overrepresented for family designation and slightly underrepresented for nonfamily designation.
Table A-3. Sample representativeness: Non-family designation Mail Sample 67.8 32.2 Respondents 65.7 34.3 Nonrespondents 71.2 28.8
Family Non-family
The respondent group was fairly representative of the population by household size (Table A-4). Respondent percentages were within two percentage points of the mail sample percentages for three-, four- and five-or-more member households. One- and two-member households were slightly overrepresented.
Table A-4. Sample representativeness: Household size Mail Sample 26.8 33.1 16.1 14.4 9.6 Respondents 29.7 36.4 14.3 12.1 7.5 Nonrespondents 22.2 28.3 18.7 18.7 12.7
One member Two members Three members Four members Five or more members
The respondent group differed somewhat from the population by the age of the head of household (Table A-5). Respondent percentages were overrepresented for heads of households over 50, whereas heads of households under 40 were under represented.
Table A-5. Sample representativeness: Age of head of household, all households Mail Sample 14.3 19.1 22.0 18.8 25.9 Respondents 7.9 15.7 21.8 21.3 33.2 Nonrespondents 23.9 24.7 22.2 14.7 14.4
Under 30 30 to 39 40 to 49 50 to 59 60 and over
The respondent group was representative of the population by household income (Table A-6). Respondent percentages were within one percentage point of mail sample percentages for all income ranges.
Table A-6. Sample representativeness: Household income Mail Sample Respondents Less than $15,000 13.1 13.8 $15,000 to $24,999 13.5 13.7 $25,000 to $34,999 12.8 12.8 $35,000 to $49,999 14.9 14.1 $50,000 to $74,999 18.0 17.7 $75,000 to $99,999 12.9 13.0 $100,000 or more 14.8 14.9 150
Nonrespondents 11.9 13.1 13.2 15.9 18.4 13.0 14.4
The respondent group was representative of the population by type of residence (Table A-7). Households that owned a home were slightly overrepresented in the respondent sample, while households that lived in apartments were slightly underrepresented.
Table A-7. Sample representativeness: Type of residence House Apartment Mobile Home Condominium Twinplex/Duplex Other Did not specify Mail Sample 72.3 13.2 6.3 3.9 1.8 1.3 1.2 Respondents 73.9 11.8 6.4 4.1 1.7 1.2 0.9 Nonrespondents 69.7 15.4 6.4 3.5 2.0 1.3 1.6
The respondent group was fairly representative of the population by home ownership status (Table A-8). Households that owned their residence were slightly overrepresented in the respondent sample, while households that rented were slightly underrepresented.
Table A-8. Sample representativeness: Home ownership Mail Sample Respondents Own 71.9 76.2 Rent 22.4 19.3 Other 4.3 3.3 Did not specify 1.5 1.2 Nonrespondents 65.3 27.3 5.6 1.8
The respondent group was representative of the population by market size (Table A-9). Respondent percentages were within one percentage point of mail sample percentages for all community size classes.
Table A-9. Sample representativeness: Community/Market size Mail Sample Respondents Less than 100,000 13.2 13.1 100,000 to 499,999 15.8 15.5 500,000 to 1,999,999 23.1 22.5 2,000,000 or more 47.9 48.9 Nonrespondents 13.5 16.7 23.7 46.1
The respondent group was representative of the population by geographic region (Table A-10). Respondent percentages were within one percentage point of mail sample percentages for all regions.
Table A-10. Sample representativeness: Geographic region Mail Sample Respondents New England 5.0 5.1 Middle Atlantic 13.8 14.4 East North Central 16.0 16.7 West North Central 7.0 7.5 South Atlantic 19.5 19.3 East South Central 6.2 6 West South Central 11.0 10.5 Mountain 6.7 6.7 Pacific 14.8 13.9 American Veterinary Medical Association Nonrespondents 5.0 12.8 14.9 6.4 19.9 6.5 11.7 6.7 16.1 151
The respondent group was representative of the population by state (Table A-11). Respondent percentages were within one-half a percentage point of mail sample percentages for all states.
Table A-11. Sample representativeness: States
Mail Sample 1.5 1.9 1.2 10.7 1.6 1.2 0.3 0.2 6.0 2.9 0.5 4.1 2.1 1.1 0.9 1.6 1.5 0.5 2.1 2.2 3.6 1.8 1.0 2.0 0.3 0.6 0.8 0.5 2.9 0.5 6.1 3.2 0.2 4.1 1.4 1.5 4.8 0.4 1.4 0.3 2.2 6.9 0.9 0.2 2.6 2.6 0.8 2.1 0.2 Respondents 1.5 2.0 1.1 10.4 1.7 1.2 0.3 0.3 6.0 2.8 0.4 4.4 2.1 1.2 1.0 1.5 1.4 0.4 2.1 2.3 3.7 2.1 0.9 2.0 0.3 0.7 0.7 0.5 3.0 0.6 6.5 3.1 0.2 4.2 1.2 1.3 4.9 0.3 1.3 0.3 2.1 6.7 0.7 0.2 2.6 2.2 0.8 2.2 0.2 Nonrespondents 1.5 1.8 1.3 10.9 1.4 1.2 0.3 0.2 5.8 2.9 0.6 3.7 2.0 1.0 0.8 1.7 1.7 0.6 2.1 2.0 3.3 1.6 1.0 1.8 0.3 0.6 0.8 0.6 2.7 0.5 5.4 3.5 0.2 3.9 1.6 1.9 4.6 0.4 1.4 0.3 2.3 7.1 1.1 0.2 2.7 3.3 0.9 2.0 0.2
Alabama Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware District of Columbia Florida Georgia Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming
152
Weighting of Data
The sample was selected with respect to the following characteristics: census region, income, household size, age of household head, family versus nonfamily, and population density. For 2006, the respondent data was weighted by the following six characteristics to correctly represent the demographic composition of the U.S.
Table A-12. Weighted data Weight Family vs. nonfamily designation Family Nonfamily Household size One member Two members Three members Four members Five or more members Age of household head Under 30 30 to 39 40 to 49 50 to 59 60 and over Household income Less than $15,000 $15,000 to $24,999 $25,000 to $34,999 $35,000 to $49,999 $50,000 to $74,999 $75,000 to $99,999 $100,000 or more Community/Market size Less than 100,000 100,000 to 499,999 500,000 to 1,999,999 2,000,000 or more Geographic region New England Middle Atlantic East North Central West North Central South Atlantic East South Central West South Central Mountain Pacific American Veterinary Medical Association .678 .322
.268 .331 .161 .144 .096
.143 .191 .220 .188 .259
.131 .135 .128 .149 .180 .129 .148
.132 .158 .231 .479
.050 .138 .160 .070 .195 .062 .110 .067 .148 153
DOG BREEDS | Appendix B
APPENDIX B Dog Breeds

Table B-1. Dogs registered by the American Kennel Club (AKC), 1996-2006 2006 Number Rank Registered 1 123,760 2 48,346 3 43,575 4 42,962 5 39,484 6 36,033 7 35,388 8 29,939 9 27,282 10 22,920 11 22,562 12 21,037 13 20,008 14 18,218 15 14,955 16 14,790 17 14,709 18 13,312 19 12,822 20 12,822 21 11,546 22 10,250 23 9,615 24 9,438 25 9,342 26 8,205 27 8,124 28 7,844 29 7,839 30 7,720 31 7,560 32 6,913 33 6,572 34 6,533 35 5,673 36 5,509 37 4,711 38 4,038 39 3,828 40 3,760 2001 Number Rank Registered 1 165,970 6 42,025 3 51,625 2 62,497 5 50,419 4 50,478 8 37,035 7 40,550 10 33,240 13 27,587 9 36,627 19 15,501 15 23,769 12 28,495 18 18,100 14 25,445 11 29,269 20 15,214 22 12,884 16 20,899 24 12,570 26 10,344 17 19,072 28 9,629 21 14,915 27 10,180 44 3,612 23 12,850 25 10,969 29 8,964 31 8,465 37 5,434 30 8,716 35 6,158 40 4,438 64 1,727 33 7,340 75 1,272 36 5,722 49 2,987 1996 Number Rank Registered 1 149,505 9 40,216 3 79,076 4 68,993 5 56,946 7 48,426 13 36,398 6 56,803 11 38,055 16 31,834 12 36,562 27 13,468 19 18,398 10 39,712 21 17,816 8 45,305 2 89,867 23 16,902 24 15,024 14 33,577 20 17,919 38 7,452 18 20,355 32 12,052 17 25,557 25 14,715 75 1,329 22 17,032 30 12,199 39 7,314 34 11,539 43 4,807 36 8,171 40 6,026 51 2,854 82 1,093 29 12,542 93 602 37 7,519 52 2,849
Breed Retrievers (Labrador) Yorkshire Terriers German Shepherd Dogs Retrievers (Golden) Beagles Dachshunds Boxers Poodles Shih Tzu Miniature Schnauzers Chihuahuas Bulldogs Pugs Pomeranians Boston Terriers Spaniels (Cocker) Rottweilers Maltese Pointers (German Shorthaired) Shetland Sheepdogs Doberman Pinschers Welsh Corgis (Pembroke) Miniature Pinschers Great Danes Siberian Huskies Spaniels (English Springer) Cavalier King Charles Spaniels Basset Hounds Bichons Frises Weimaraners Brittanys Mastiffs West Highland White Terriers Australian Shepherds Papillons French Bulldogs Collies Havanese St. Bernards Bullmastiffs 154
Appendix B | DOG BREEDS Table B-1. Dogs registered by the American Kennel Club (AKC), 1996-2006 2006 Breed Bernese Mountain Dogs Scottish Terriers Vizslas Newfoundlands Bloodhounds Lhasa Apsos Chinese Shar-Pei Cairn Terriers Pekingese Retrievers (Chesapeake Bay) Tibetan Mastiff Chinese Crested Akitas Rhodesian Ridgebacks Airedale Terriers Border Collies Alaskan Malamutes Great Pyrenees Italian Greyhounds Whippets Bull Terriers Soft Coated Wheaten Terriers Brussels Griffons Chow Chows Shiba Inu American Staffordshire Terriers Australian Cattle Dogs Setters (Irish) Portuguese Water Dogs Silky Terriers Old English Sheepdogs Japanese Chin Pointers (German Wirehaired) Spaniels (English Cocker) Parson Russell Terriers Samoyeds Irish Wolfhounds Fox Terriers (Wire) Welsh Corgis (Cardigan) Staffordshire Bull Terriers Rank 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 Number Registered 3,714 3,545 3,509 3,415 3,343 3,326 3,261 3,224 3,155 3,120 2,925 2,555 2,457 2,248 2,243 2,181 2,124 1,983 1,963 1,836 1,765 1,762 1,694 1,592 1,590 1,539 1,499 1,475 1,454 1,407 1,403 1,388 1,352 1,281 1,232 1,130 1,016 937 934 918 Rank 54 43 45 50 48 34 38 42 32 41 * 62 39 57 46 61 53 47 51 67 80 56 77 52 55 63 72 59 78 60 68 74 73 76 70 66 86 69 85 95 2001 Number Registered 2,474 3,958 3,235 2,911 3,010 6,584 5,416 4,333 7,798 4,400 * 1,790 4,904 2,351 3,055 1,796 2,753 3,033 2,892 1,685 1,072 2,409 1,177 2,811 2,434 1,761 1,418 1,905 1,098 1,889 1,590 1,300 1,333 1,228 1,533 1,698 860 1,536 919 630 Rank 67 41 54 50 60 33 31 46 28 42 * 72 35 58 48 83 44 45 55 61 85 65 96 26 64 71 63 57 86 62 56 79 73 76 * 47 77 59 90 103 1996 Number Registered 1,822 5,578 2,738 2,984 2,057 11,903 12,178 4,256 13,157 5,540 * 1,486 11,161 2,300 3,316 1,076 4,616 4,521 2,681 1,991 1,034 1,916 582 13,587 1,944 1,671 1,969 2,375 997 1,979 2,401 1,146 1,409 1,275 * 3,678 1,191 2,140 695 500
*Not available
155
DOG BREEDS | Appendix B Table B-1. Dogs registered by the American Kennel Club (AKC), 1996-2006 2006 Breed Border Terriers Schipperkes Giant Schnauzers Basenjis Dalmatians Bouviers des Flandres Afghan Hounds Setters (Gordon) Toy Fox Terriers Belgian Malinois Welsh Terriers Norwegian Elkhounds Keeshonden Norwich Terriers Tibetan Terriers Borzois Greater Swiss Mountain Dogs Setters (English) Standard Schnauzers Retrievers (Flat-Coated) Tibetan Spaniels Fox Terriers (Smooth) Pointers Bearded Collies Wirehaired Pointing Griffons Manchester Terriers Belgian Tervuren Plotts American Eskimo Dogs Retrievers (Nova Scotia Duck Tolling) Anatolian Shepherds Neapolitan Mastiffs Australian Terriers Kerry Blue Terriers Norfolk Terriers Salukis Spinoni Italiani Briards Petit Basset Griffon Vendeen English Toy Spaniels Rank 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 Number Registered 873 856 855 826 820 808 782 726 724 716 705 682 679 678 662 660 644 629 584 551 533 522 467 447 446 435 434 417 391 386 380 379 361 361 353 344 297 284 283 269 Rank 87 65 82 71 58 81 90 84 103 94 92 83 79 99 91 88 101 89 97 98 102 93 100 96 116 106 107 137 104 * 120 * 105 110 115 108 123 114 112 117 2001 Number Registered 812 1,703 1,038 1,420 2,139 1,044 684 965 488 647 673 974 1,086 522 675 744 509 721 597 554 488 669 519 620 241 455 454 92 482 * 202 * 476 395 273 415 180 276 289 236 Rank 88 49 78 69 15 66 81 74 * 92 94 68 53 108 91 80 116 87 100 97 111 84 99 89 127 95 102 * 98 * 70 * 105 107 112 104 * 110 115 119 1996 Number Registered 768 3,138 1,164 1,689 32,972 1,842 1,131 1,369 * 620 585 1,723 2,790 377 678 1,134 249 890 551 576 299 1,070 565 720 152 583 542 * 568 * 1,678 * 463 380 294 465 * 334 253 224
*Not available
156
Appendix B | DOG BREEDS Table B-1. Dogs registered by the American Kennel Club (AKC), 1996-2006 2006 Breed Spaniels (Clumber) Belgian Sheepdogs Irish Terriers Spaniels (Welsh Springer) Affenpinschers Spaniels (Field) Lakeland Terriers Bedlington Terriers Miniature Bull Terriers Kuvaszok Black and Tan Coonhounds Lowchen Spaniels (American Water) Black Russian Terriers Scottish Deerhounds Greyhounds Retrievers (Curly-Coated) Ibizan Hounds Spaniels (Irish Water) Pulik Pharaoh Hounds Polish Lowland Sheepdogs German Pinschers Dandie Dinmont Terriers Spaniels (Sussex) Skye Terriers Finnish Spitz Komondorok Sealyham Terriers Canaan Dogs Foxhounds (American) Otterhounds Glen of Imaal Terriers Harriers Foxhounds (English) Rank 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130 131 132 133 134 135 136 137 138 139 140 141 142 143 144 145 146 147 148 149 150 151 152 153 154 155 Number Registered 266 266 263 247 215 195 193 192 173 160 159 153 152 143 140 136 129 129 113 112 102 99 92 84 79 76 73 71 68 66 51 42 31 23 11 Rank 121 109 111 113 118 134 127 119 133 128 126 135 125 * 122 124 130 143 132 131 136 129 139 144 148 141 138 142 145 140 149 150 * 146 147 2001 Number Registered 198 405 330 283 229 125 157 203 126 154 160 122 166 * 191 179 136 82 126 134 113 149 89 75 56 84 91 83 70 88 52 35 * 58 57 Rank 124 101 114 117 125 130 122 121 132 109 118 106 113 * 128 120 134 136 129 123 131 * * 138 139 135 133 126 137 * 140 142 * 141 143 1996 Number Registered 195 546 268 248 186 121 200 210 109 374 234 440 269 * 148 218 99 74 140 199 112 * * 61 57 86 108 160 62 * 53 21 * 46 18
*Not available
157
FORMULAS | Appendix C
APPENDIX C Formulas
Most communities do not have data on the number of households that own dogs, cats, birds, or horses, nor do they have data on the numbers of these pets in their communities. The following formulas can be used to estimate the number of pet-owning households and pet populations in your community. These formulas will give you an approximation of the number of pet-owning households and pet populations. These formulas assume that the demographics and rates of pet ownership in your community are similar to national, state and regional demographics and rates of pet ownership. However, because these formulas use sample survey data, they should not be considered 100% accurate. To use the formulas on these pages you need to know the total number of households in the community in which you are estimating. If you only know the population of the community, you can estimate the number of households by dividing the population of the community by the average number of members per household. In 2006, the U.S. Census Bureaus Current Population Survey estimated that there were 2.5 members per household.
Estimate the Number of Pet-owning Households

To estimate the number of pet-owning households in your community, multiply the total number of households in your community by the percentage of households that owned pets (Table 1-2 in Section 1). For dogs (Table 1-8) and cats (Table 1-13) you may replace the national percentage with the percentage for the state in which the community is located. For birds (Table 1-18) and horses (Table 1-23) you may replace the national percentage with the percentage for the region in which the community is located. The demographics of the state or region may be more similar to the demographics of your community, but, as indicated previously (statistical inference, Appendix A), the state and regional estimates have a greater degree of statistical error associated with them than the national estimates. Therefore, without additional analysis, it is undetermined whether an estimate for the number of pet-owing households in your community will be more accurate by using the national estimates, regional estimates or state estimates. Formulas for estimating the number of pet-owning households using national percentages: All Pets: (.574 taken from Table 1-2) Number of pet-owning households = .574 x total number of households Dogs: (.372 taken from Table 1-8) Number of dog-owning households = .372 x total number of households Cats: (.324 taken from Table 1-13) Number of cat-owning households = .324 x total number of households Birds: (.039 taken from Table 1-18) Number of bird-owning households = .039 x total number of households Horses: (.018 taken from Table 1-23) Number of horse-owning households = .018 x total number of households
158
Appendix C | FORMULAS
Estimate the Number of Pets

There are two alternative methods for estimating the number of pets in your community. You can multiply the total number of households in your community by a factor determined by multiplying the percentage of households that own pets by the number of pets owned per household. Alternatively, you can multiply the number of pet-owning households determined above by the mean number of pets owned per household (Tables 1-2, 1-8, 1-13, 1-18, and 1-23). As with the number of households, state or regional values may be substituted for the national values if desired. (The number of dogs, cats, birds or horses per household for states or regions can be determined by dividing the total population of the state or region by the total number of pet-owning households in each state or region.) However, the same caution mentioned previously must be noted. Without additional analysis, it is unknown whether the error in the estimate introduced by differences between national and community demographic and pet-ownership characteristics is greater than or less than the error introduced by the larger error inherent in the smaller state or regional samples. Formulas for estimating the number of pets using national percentages and number of pets: Dogs: (0.632 is a multiple of .372 and 1.7 from Table 1-8) Number of dogs = 0.632 x total number of households in your community Number of dogs = 1.7 x number of dog-owning households Cats: (0.713 is a multiple of .324 and 2.2 from Table 1-13) Number of cats = 0.713 x total number of households in your community Number of cats = 2.2 x number of cat-owning households Birds: (0.098 is a multiple of .039 and 2.5 from Table 1-18) Number of birds = 0.098 x total number of households in your community Number of birds = 2.5 x number of bird-owning households Horses: (0.063 is a multiple of .018 and 3.5 from Table 1-23) Number of horses = 0.063 x total number of households in your community Number of horses = 3.5 x number of horse-owning households
EXAMPLE:
Suppose that you know a community has a population of 50,000. To estimate the number of dog-owning households in this community: Divide total population by the average number of people per household from the Census: 50,000 2.5 = 20,000 households 20,000 x .372 = 7,440 dog-owning households To estimate the number of dogs in this community: 20,000 x 0.632 = 12,640 dogs Alternatively: 1.7 x 7,440 = 12,648 dogs
159

Sourcebook Vets Pets 2006

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Sourcebook Vets Pets 2006

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

20 07 EDITION

U.S. Pet Ownership & Demographics Sourcebook

American Veterinary Medical Association

U.S. Pet Ownership & Demographics Sourcebook

Additional copies of this report may be purchased from:

Pet Ownership and Pet Population: Dog Ownership

Pet Ownership and Pet Population: Cat Ownership

Pet Ownership and Pet Population: Bird Ownership

Pet Ownership and Pet Population: Horse Ownership

Pet Ownership and Pet Population: Summary Tables

Veterinary Medical Use and Expenditures: All Pet-owning Households

Veterinary Medical Use and Expenditures: Multiple-Pet Households

Veterinary Medical Use and Expenditures: Dog-owning Households

Veterinary Medical Use and Expenditures: Cat-owning Households

Veterinary Medical Use and Expenditures: Bird-owning Households

Veterinary Medical Use and Expenditures: Horse-owning Households

Veterinary Medical Use and Expenditures: Summary Tables

Pet Owner Demographics: All Pet-owning Households

Pet Owner Demographics: Multiple-Pet Households

Pet Owner Demographics: Dog-owning Households

Pet Owner Demographics: Cat-owning Households

Pet Owner Demographics: Bird-owning Households

Pet Owner Demographics: Horse-owning Households

Pet Owner Demographics: Summary Tables

Pet Owner Profiles:

Pet Owner Profiles: Summary Tables

Pet Ownership and Pet Population: Multiple Pets

Pet Ownership and Pet Population: Dog Ownership

Pet Ownership and Pet Population: Cat Ownership

Pet Ownership and Pet Population: Bird Ownership

Pet Ownership and Pet Population: Horse Ownership

Pet Ownership and Pet Population: Summary Tables

Veterinary Medical Use and Expenditures: All Pet-owning Households

Veterinary Medical Use and Expenditures: Multiple-Pet Households

Veterinary Medical Use and Expenditures: Dog-owning Households

Veterinary Medical Use and Expenditures: Cat-owning Households

Veterinary Medical Use and Expenditures: Bird-owning Households

Veterinary Medical Use and Expenditures: Horse-owning Households

Pet Owner Demographics: All Pet-owning Households

Pet Owner Demographics: Dog-owning Households

Pet Owner Demographics: Cat-owning Households

Pet Owner Demographics: Bird-owning Households

Pet Owner Demographics: Horse-owning Households

Pet Owner Profiles:

American Veterinary Medical Association

Specialty and Exotic Pet Ownership

American Veterinary Medical Association

Section 2: Veterinary Medical Use and Expenditures

American Veterinary Medical Association

American Veterinary Medical Association

Specialty and Exotic Pet-Owning Households

Section 3: Pet Owner Demographics

American Veterinary Medical Association

Section 4: Pet Owner Profiles

American Veterinary Medical Association

Total Pet Ownership and Pet Population | ALL PETS

SECTION 1 Total Pet Ownership and Pet Population

68,700,000 54,800,000 58,300,000 61,100,000

Age of pet owner All 18 19-29 30-49 50-64 65 or more

American Veterinary Medical Association

ALL PETS | Total Pet Ownership and Pet Population

WA 65.8% MT 69.3% ID 73.4% ND 51.0% MN

WA MI PA IL 51.4% MO TN AK MS 54.2% LA 53.8% AL GA SC OH IN KY WV 66.7% VA NE