Pet Dog & Cat Population

Surveys show that over half of all American households now have at least one cat or dog sharing the home.  Today the pet dog population is over 63 million, and the pet cat population is well over 81 million.

(in millions)

Source: Euromonitor International, “Pet Food & Pet Care Products in the US” (2005)

Reasons for the Increase in Pet Ownership

There is mounting evidence that people need pets.  A leading proponent of this theory, Dr. Boris Levinson, Professor of Psychology at Yeshiva University and a clinical psychotherapist, stated in his book Pet-Oriented Child Psychotherapy:

In this very busy twentieth century, man is a lonely creature.  There are too many alienated individuals who lack human companionship.  They lack purpose and productivity.  A simple addition to these lonely lives can sometimes accomplish major changes.  The possession of a pet, who eagerly awaits one and responds to one's care and attention, may mean the difference between maintaining contact with reality or almost total withdrawal into fantasy.  Literally, a pet can occasionally represent the difference between life and death.

Other apparent reasons why people need pets are the increasingly urban nature of our society, the separation of children and adults from farm animals and from nature, the separation of families, where older persons and unmarried adults often live alone, and the desire for personal protection.

Recent work by researchers, much of which was encouraged by the Delta Society, with support from the Pet Food Institute, has confirmed the hypothesis that the presence of pets speeds recovery from illness reduces stress and promotes healthy family bonding.

Ingredients, Composition & Processing of Pet Food

The principal ingredients of pet foods are meat, poultry, seafood and their byproducts, feed grains and meals.  The purchase and use of these ingredients by the pet food industry provides nutritional foods for pets at reasonable costs to pet owners.

At the Federal level, pet food labeling and advertising claims are regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Federal Trade Commission and U.S. Department of Agriculture.  All pet food production plants are subject to FDA inspection, and FDA's low acid canned foods regulations apply to pet foods just as they do to canned foods made for human use.  These layers of government oversight make commercial pet food one of the most highly regulated products on store shelves.

In 2005, dog and cat food sales in the US reached a new record high of over $14.3 billion.

(in US$ millions)

Source: Euromonitor International, “Pet Food & Pet Care Products in the US” (2005)

For additional information on PFI, visit us online at www.petfoodinstitute.org, or contact:

Pet Food Institute
2025 M Street, NW, Suite 800
Washington, DC  20036
(202)367-1120 / (202)367-2120 Fax
Email info@petfoodinstitute.org