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Americans and Their Pets

Cats are America's most popular pet. Pets live in more than sixty-nine million American homes. That is about sixty-three percent of all American homes.

The American Pet Products Manufacturers Association did a study of pet owners this year. It said American families have about ninety million cats and seventy-three million dogs. Americans keep one hundred forty-eight million fish and sixteen million birds. They keep eighteen million other small animals like rabbits, hamsters and gerbils.

Americans have eleven million reptiles – animals like iguanas, salamanders and snakes, even poisonous snakes. Other more unusual animals also are gaining popularity as pets. They include pot-bellied pigs, llamas, rare birds, hedgehogs and goats. Yes, I said goats.

The American Pet Products Manufacturers Association says Americans are expected to spend more than thirty-eight thousand million dollars this year on their pets.

People buy specially prepared food costing a total of more than fifteen thousand million dollars a year. They buy pet supplies, toys and clothing like little sweaters. They buy jewelry and clothes for themselves with images of their animals on them. For example, many people – including adults – wear T-shirts showing cats or dogs.

Americans spend more than nine thousand million dollars a year for their pets’ health care. They take their pets to doctors for animals called veterinarians. The pets get vaccine medicines to protect them against diseases. The veterinarians also care for illnesses and broken bones. And they neuter animals to prevent them from reproducing.

Some owners even bury their dead pets in special burial grounds.

The pet dog of a woman who lives in Maryland recently died of old age. The woman missed him so much that within a few weeks, she took in another animal.

Her new dog, Toby, was homeless for a while after getting lost in Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, Louisiana last year. She says Toby seems happy now, although he acts frightened during storms.

She says, “I think we both needed each other.” VOA.

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