Pet Ownership Survey Results...! Most people consider their pets to be family members or companions, not property; and spending on veterinary care has increased. Yet, veterinary visits per pet have declined, & cats are not receiving the same care as dogs. About 49.7 percent of survey respondents consider pets to be family, and 48.2 percent consider pets to be companions. The remaining 2.1 percent consider pets to be property. Households that consider dogs to be family, averaged three veterinary visits, for example, in comparison with 2.2 visits for households that consider dogs to be pets or companions and 1.1 visits for households that consider dogs to be property. Ownership of cats and dogs has increased during the past decade, not only in numbers of households but also in percentages of households. More households owned dogs than cats in 2006, but cat-owning households owned an average of 2.2 cats while dog-owning households owned an average of 1.7 dogs. The total population was 81.7 million pet cats and 72 million pet dogs. Dog-owning households that spent $1,000 or more in a year, for example, jumped from 2.2 percent to 8.4 percent. Veterinary spending per cat has hardly changed in the past decade, even as people continue to own more cats than dogs. On average, dogs and cats are visiting veterinarians less frequently. Dogs averaged 1.5 visits down from 1.9 visits in previous years. Cats averaged 0.7 visits, down from one visit on average in earlier year. Only 63.7 percent of cat-owning households had at least one veterinary visit in 2006. Dr. Hammer attributed the drop in visits partially to the transition in progress at many clinics from annual vaccinations to a three-year protocol. The percentage of dog-owning and cat-owning households that reported no veterinary expenditures increased in the past decade, from 17.4 percent to 20.9 percent for dog owners and from 33.2 percent to 39.2 percent for cat owners. While the number of cat-owning households has increased, the number of veterinary visits by cat-owning households fell from 70.8 million in 2001 to 63.3 million in 2006. Dr. Creighton doesn't know why cats are visiting veterinarians less frequently, but she noted the disparity between cats and dogs in veterinary care. Veterinary visits and spending are highest for dogs in dog-only households—followed by dogs in households with a cat or cats, cats in cat-only households, and cats in households with a dog or dogs. The three-year vaccine schedule may contribute to the decline in veterinary visits for cats. On the other hand, she said, moving away from vaccination as the sole trigger for a visit frees veterinarians to focus on the merits of the wellness visit for disease prevention and early intervention. The statistics confirming that cats visit veterinarians much less often than dogs do also were striking. Improving that frequency would lead to overall increased longevity and health for cats. The survey on exotic pets reveal that fewer households owned pet birds - but more households owned "pet horses." The population of pet fish rose from 49.3 million to 75.9 million, while pet turtles have increased from 1.1 million to 2 million. Horse and bird owners, like cat and dog owners, feel a bond with their animals. About 38.4 percent of horse owners consider their horses to be family, and 56.5 percent consider horses to be pets or companions. About 51.3 percent of bird owners consider their birds to be family, and 46.9 percent consider birds to be pets or companions. |
Search anything, anytime !
| © Cheerans Lab (P) Limited About us | Disclaimer | Privacy Policy | Contact us | Site Map |
| Services |
| Free eMagazine Animal News & Articles 24 Hour Open Pet Store Online Query Services Veterinary Search Centre |
CHEERANS LAB (P) LIMITED
ISO 9001:2000 Certified Company
ISO 9001:2000 Certified Company