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Q: Dogs and cats in US ( Answered 5 out of 5 stars,   0 Comments )
Question  
Subject: Dogs and cats in US
Category: Family and Home > Pets
Asked by: lucyd78-ga
List Price: $15.00
Posted: 30 Jan 2006 15:53 PST
Expires: 01 Mar 2006 15:53 PST
Question ID: 439417
How many families in US have dogs? How many dogs are there in US? How
many families in US have cats? How many cats are there in US?
Answer  
Subject: Re: Dogs and cats in US
Answered By: cynthia-ga on 30 Jan 2006 17:12 PST
Rated:5 out of 5 stars
 
Hi lucyd78,

I isolated the numbers as well as I could, it was difficult to find
numbers after 2002 that were reliable. As you can imagine they vary
quite a bit. I generally took what seemed to be the most reliable
source first, and the highest number second --since in my opinion,
there are so many strays that any number would be low. In the middle
is a paragraph that guestimates the stray population. I saw one source
that quoted 60 million dog-owning households, but it was not repeated
so I left it out.

Number of households owning dogs: nearly 50 million
http://www.zwire.com/site/tab6.cfm?newsid=15504107&BRD=2553&PAG=461&dept_id=506105&rfi=6

Number of households owning cats: 60 million plus
http://www.petbookexpress.com/viewarticle.aspx?aid=5&sid=hgrtso55ndctaq550rzwdzne

73 million owned dogs in the US (below)
90 million owned cats in the US (below) 

2005-2006 National Pet Owners Survey 
http://www.thepetprofessor.com/press/press.aspx?id=1843
..."New figures just released from APPMA?s 2005-2006 National Pet
Owners Survey (NPOS) show pet ownership is currently at its highest
level, with 63 percent of all U.S. households owning a pet which
equates to more than 69 million households.  That?s up from 64 million
in 2002 and 51 million in 1988 when APPMA?s tracking began.  According
to the 375 page survey that tracks hundreds of pet ownership trends,
Americans own approximately 73 million dogs, 90 million cats..."

*********************************************************

http://www.usps.com/news/2002/philatelic/sr02_064.htm
..."An estimated 70,000 cats and dogs are born each day in the United
States. Eight to ten million animals are taken in by shelters, but the
free roaming/feral population is estimated to be in the tens of
millions..."

In Los Angelos alone! - Los Angeles Pet Overpopulation Fact and Solution
http://www.spay4la.org/pages/facts.html
..."More than 45,000 stray dogs and 2,000,000 feral cats are homeless
on L. A. streets..."

*********************************************************

HSUS Pet Overpopulation Estimates   
http://www.hsus.org/ace/11830

..."Number of cats and dogs entering shelters each year:
6-8 million (HSUS estimate) 

Number of cats and dogs euthanized by shelters each year:
3-4 million (HSUS estimate)

Number of cats and dogs adopted from shelters each year:
3-4 million (HSUS estimate)

Number of cats and dogs reclaimed by owners from shelters each year:
Between 600,000 and 750,000 -- 30% of dogs and 2-5% of cats entering
shelters (HSUS estimate)

Number of animal shelters in the United States:
Between 4,000 and 6,000 (HSUS estimate)

Percentage of dogs in shelters who are purebred:
25% (HSUS estimate)

Average number of litters a fertile cat can produce in one year: 3

Average number of kittens in a feline litter: 4-6

In seven years, one female cat and her offspring can theoretically
produce 420,000 cats.

Average number of litters a fertile dog can produce in one year: 2

Average number of puppies in a canine litter: 6-10

In six years, one female dog and her offspring can theoretically
produce 67,000 dogs..."


I hope this helps!  If I can assist further, ask for a clarification.


~~Cynthia


Search strategy used at Google:
"number of dog OR cat owners in the US"
"number of households that own dogs OR cats"
"stray dogs OR cats"
lucyd78-ga rated this answer:5 out of 5 stars
I just want an approximate number, not necessarily that accurate, yet
you did a great job and I'm very satisfied. Thank you for the effort.

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