Pet Population Facts

Number of dogs and cats in U.S. households:
In 1996 there were approximately 52.9 million dogs and 59.1 million cats living in households in the United States . More households (31.6%) had dogs than cats (27.3%), but the average number of dogs per household was 1.69 and the average number of cats per household was 2.19. Thus, more households have dogs, but cat-owning household tend to own more cats.

Purebred dogs:
The American Kennel Club, the largest breed registration organization in the U.S. , registered 1,322,557 new individual dogs in 1996. This is an increase of 45,518 animals from 1995, in which 1,277,039 animals were registered. The HSUS estimates that 25-30% of the dogs that enter shelters nationwide are purebred.

Approximate number of animal shelters in the U.S. : 4,000 to 6,000

Average number of animals handled by an animal shelter in the U.S. each year:
5 to 7% of the human population of a community (5,000 to 7,000 animals per year in a community of 100,000 people).

Estimated number of animals entering U.S. animal shelters annually:
8 to 12 million

Estimated percentage of lost animals reunited with their guardians by U.S. animal shelters each year:
4% (cats) to 14% (dogs)

Estimated number of animals euthanized by U.S. animal shelters each year because homes are not available: 4 to 6 million. Although the number of animals euthanized varies by geographic region, approximately 30-60% of all animals brought into animal shelters are euthanized nationwide.

Number of litters a female cat can produce: up to 3 per year

Number of kittens per litter: 4 to 6 in an average litter

Age at which a female cat can first produce a litter: 4 to 10 months

Gestation period (length of pregnancy) for cats: 58 to 70 days

Number of litters a female dog can produce: up to 2 per year

Number of puppies per litter: 6-12 for medium or large breeds, 4 to 8 for smaller breeds

Age at which a female dog can first produce a litter: 7 to 9 months

Gestation period (length of pregnancy) for dogs: 58 to 71 days

Information obtained from: http://www.enter.net/~pstacks/petpop.htm