There are all kinds of stereotypes about dog and cat owners. One survey

breaks down the stats.

In March 2019, the U.S.-focused General Social Survey (GSS) released thesecond half of its 2018 survey results, which included pet ownership data. InFebruary 2020, people search and verification engine Nuwber took the pet dataand analyzed it to confirm (or deny) various stereotypes about pet owners andpet ownership. What are the pet food industry’s key targets saying aboutthemselves?

Dog owners soak up the sun in the south, cat owners chill up north

Unsurprisingly, the survey found that dog owners were more likely to live inthe southern half of the U.S., while cat owners were more likely to be foundin the northern half. The Pacific Northwest and New England in particularshowed higher concentrations of cat owners than anywhere else — to the tune ofa pet owner being 30–40% more likely to have a cat than a dog in these areas.Why? Weather, most likely. Dogs need exercise and walks and all the things petowners don’t want to do at 6 a.m. in knee-deep snow or below-freezing windchills. Cats, however, are mostly content to stay inside, making them aneasier choice for pet lovers in cooler climates.

More money, more dogs

Having both a dog and cats, I can personally attest to the fact that dogs are,in general, the more expensive of the two. Their vet visits cost more (andtend to be more frequent), they need more food (especially the big ones) andtheir general upkeep is higher. It’s no surprise, then, that according to thesurvey, dog owners tend to make more than cat owners — or, at least, those inthe higher income brackets are more likely to own dogs, while those in thelower brackets are more likely to own cats. In fact, cat owners edge out dogowners in every income bracket up to US$100,000. After that, dog ownersconsistently overtake cat owners.

Of course, more pet owners in general sit in the higher income brackets, asowning a pet is a luxury in terms of being able to devote the proper amount oftime and resources (monetary and otherwise) to an animal. According to thedata, 18.6% of dog owners and 18.7% of cat owners earn US$75,000–$99,999, andanother 19.1% of dog owners and 18.6% of cat owners make US$100,000–$149,999.

Briefly: More fun facts about dog and cat owners

• Even though dog owners tend to sit in the higher income brackets, cat owners tend to have better credit scores. Make of that what you will!
• 14.75% of cat owners and 14.14% of dog owners are homemakers. 10.92% of cat owners and 11.19% of dog owners are craftspeople/blue collar workers.
• The vast majority of cat and dog owners (91.90% and 91.46%, respectively) are book readers. And more than 94% of each say they’re travelers.

Source: Lindsay Beaton – PetFoodIndustry.com

Previous Calling dogs with lymphoma for promising anti-cancer drug clinicaltrial

Next HOW MANY INSPECTORS DOES IT TAKE TO RESCUE A GOOSE?