Got Pets? Results of 2015 Survey of U.S. Pet Owners

The American Pet Products Association conducts an annual survey of U.S. pet owners, and the data provides a fascinating snapshot of pet ownership in America. What are the key findings from the latest pet owners’ survey? Here are some interesting numbers on pet ownership, and also what we spend on our fur kids each year.

65% of U.S. households own at least one pet, that’s 79.7 million homes. In 1988, the first year the survey was conducted, 56% of U.S. households had a pet.

Dogs are owned by the most U.S. households (54.4 million), followed by cats (42.9 million). After dogs and cats, the numbers drop off considerably…starting with freshwater fish, and followed by birds, small animals, reptiles, horses, and saltwater fish.

More households may own dogs, but when you look at total numbers of pets, freshwater fish are at the top of the list! There are 95.5 million freshwater fish owned in the U.S., followed by 85.8 million cats and 77.8 million dogs. Rounding out the list are birds, followed by small animals, saltwater fish, reptiles, and horses.

What are we spending our money on? Here are the average annual expenses for dogs and cats:

• Veterinary Surgery:  Dogs:  $551, Cats:  $398
• Routine Vet Visits:  Dogs:  $235, Cats:  $196
• Food:  Dogs:  $269, Cats:  $246
• Treats:  Dogs:  $61, Cats:  $51
• Kennel Boarding:  Dogs:  $333, Cats:  $130
• Vitamins:  Dogs:  $62, Cats:  $33
• Grooming:  Dogs:  $83, Cats:  $43
• Toys:  Dogs:  $47, Cats:  $28

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