SeeCalifornia.com

Some people swear they’d never own a cat, but they think of their dogs as children. Others will only own cats, no second thoughts. What if you let the cats and dogs decide who their family member should be? Perhaps you’d find cats prefer dogs as their playmates and pets. Here are the latest figures on cats and dogs in the USA, produced by The Humane Society of the United States:

Dogs
There are approximately 78.2 million owned dogs in the United States
39% of U.S. households own at least one dog
60% own one dog
28% of owners own two dogs
12% of owners own three or more dogs
On average, owners have almost two dogs (1.69 percent)
The proportion of male to female dogs is even
21% of owned dogs were adopted from an animal shelter
On average, dog owners spent $248 on veterinary visits (vaccine, well visits) annually
78% of owned dogs are spayed or neutered

Cats
There are approximately 86.4 million owned cats in the United States
33% of U.S. households own at least one cat
52% of owners own more than one cat
On average, owners have two cats (2.2)
More female cats are owned than male cats (80 percent vs. 65 percent respectively)
Twenty-one percent of owned cats were adopted from an animal shelter
Cat owners spent an average of $219 on routine veterinary visits
88% of owned cats are spayed or neutered