PET OWNERS VERSUS NON-OWNERS

• About 26.2 percent of the respondents had a dog, 21.5 percent had a cat and 8.5 percent had both.
• Women were more likely than men to be either a cat or dog owner (or have both).
• White people were much more likely to have dogs or cats compared to other races and ethnicities.
• Pet owners were more likely to be homeowners and married.
• Pet owners also were more likely to have full-time jobs and make more money than non-owners.

PETS AND THEIR HUMANS’ HEALTH

• Dog and cat owners ranked their general health as slightly better than non-owners. But once the study controlled for other factors that influence health — such as income and marital status — the differences between the groups disappeared.
• Pet owners were more likely to have asthma than non-owners, though this survey couldn’t say whether the pets caused the asthma, the people already had it or there was another factor at play.
• Dog owners were slightly more likely to have a higher BMI.

THE BOTTOM LINE