27% of UK adults have a dog with an estimated population of 10.2 million pet dogs. 24% of the UK adult population have a cat with an estimated population of 11.1 million pet cats.
1. Dogs. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the UK's favourite pet is the dog. More than a quarter of us (26%) own a dog, with an estimated 9 million dogs living in the UK.
Cats come in a close second at 12.2 million in U.K. households in 2022. This means that 27% of U.K. households own at least one cat.
With 25% of the UK population owning a total of over 11 million pet cats, there's no doubt that we really do love our feline friends. Across the streets of Britain there are a large array of cat breeds prowling, darting round corners and casually tip toeing on fences.
There's no doubt about it – Australians are smitten with kittens and cats!
Animal Act 1971
This act recognises that cats are less likely than other animals, such as dogs and livestock to cause damage to property and/or injure people. The outcome of this is that the law does not require owners to confine their cats within their property.
There are at least 100,000 dogs without a known home at any time in the UK. 3: 34% of UK households own a dog. 10 million, 34% of UK households own a dog, compared to the other 8.2 million (28% ) that own a cat.
The laidback nature of the British Shorthair cat makes them well suited to family life, with children, other cats and cat-friendly dogs. They are equally confident when it comes to visitors. With an average energy level, they will happily play with children.
A population of about 300 wildcats remains in Scotland, but it has been called "functionally extinct" due to interbreeding with domestic cats. The European wildcat can be found in habitats across the continent, but it had been "hunted and persecuted to extinction" in England and Wales, the trust said.
Dogs, for example, were held to have virtuous characteristics that echoed the values of the Victorian human world – they were seen as steadfast, loyal and courageous.
The top dog breed in the UK in 2021, as measured by number of registrations, was the Labrador Retriever breed. Some 61,559 retrievers were newly registered in the UK in 2021. French Bulldogs and Cocker Spaniels rounded out the top three dog breeds in the UK that year.
More than two-thirds of Australian households now own a pet.
An estimated 28.7 million pets are now calling home to around 6.9 million households across Australia. 85% pet owners say their pet has a positive impact on their life, noting mental and physical health as key positives.
According to our CATS (Cats and Their Stats) 2021 UK report, there are an incredible 10.8 million pet cats in the UK, with 26% of households owning at least one kitty.
The United States (76.5 Million)
Yes, you heard the right! With an estimated cat population of 76.5 million, the United States is the country with the most pet cats.
Cats are protected by law and are free to roam meaning they might go into other people's gardens or allotments. It is understood that some may wish to deter other people's cats from those areas.
And yes, there is a royal cat.
Most royals tend to prefer dogs, but Princess Michael of Kent is definitely a cat person. Her 70th birthday portrait even featured her cuddling one of her many Siamese and Burmese cats. For more great stories, head to INSIDER's homepage.
In a survey conducted about domestic pet ownership in 2021, the estimated number of dogs that were considered pets in Australia exceeded 6.3 million. This represents an increase from an estimated 5.1 million dogs in 2019.
At any given time, there are an estimated 100,000 dogs – and countless cats – without homes in the UK.
He told us how pets grieve, the relationship between cats and dogs and Australia's new cat curfew. Australia's new law will ban cats from going outside, to prevent them from killing billions of native animals. Research has found that each feral cat slaughters up to 740 local wildlife each year.
According the NSW Companion Animals Act, as long as cats are microchipped, registered and wearing a collar there are no restrictions on where they can roam, except in prohibited places such as protected wildlife areas and where food is prepared or consumed.
They fight with other cats, catch birds and mice, are noisy creatures in the night and shamelessly use neighbours' gardens as their toilet. In addition to domestic cats roaming the neighbourhood, there's also the problem of feral cats to contend with – and Britain has over 1 million of them.