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Who owns cats?
Around one in four UK households owns at least one dog, while around one in five households owns a cat.
Cat owners are more likely to be female and younger than those who don’t own cats, indicate the results of a household survey of one semi-rural community in the UK.

Around one in four UK households owns at least one dog, while around one in five households owns a cat.

That translates into around 10 million dogs and 7 million cats in the UK, which differs from patterns seen in several other countries where cats now outnumber dogs as pets.

The researchers surveyed 1278 households in a community in Cheshire, in the north west of England. They used face to face doorstep interviews to find out if there was a particular profile for cat ownership.

The households were all located on the edge of a town in a semi rural community. Occupants, all of whom were over the age of 16, were asked for details about their household, such as age, sex, and employment, and whether they owned any pets.

All male households were significantly less likely to own a cat than mixed households, whilst female only households were more likely to do so.
The results, which were based on responses from 1142 households, showed that just over half (52%) owned a pet. Around one in four (24%) owned a dog, while around one in five (22%) owned a cat.

When all the other factors were analysed, the findings showed that cat owners were significantly more likely to own a horse.

Households with just one dog were less likely to own a cat than those with no dog, but those with several dogs were more likely to own cats.

All male households were significantly less likely to own a cat than mixed households, whilst female only households were more likely to do so.

Those aged between 20 and 59 were significantly more likely to own a cat than those aged 60 and above, as were households with children.

The benefits of pet ownership on health and wellbeing are many, say the authors, noting how few older people owned a pet in their survey.
The authors caution that their study focuses on one small geographically defined area and so can’t be taken as automatically applicable to the rest of the UK. But the percentage of the population found to be pet owners does reflect national figures, they say, adding: “the results gained from this study may at least be indicative of similar communities in the UK.”

The benefits of pet ownership on health and wellbeing are many, say the authors, noting how few older people owned a pet in their survey.

“The elderly are a group that may be most isolated and would benefit from the companionship of a pet, as well as having something to care for,” they suggest.

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Applications open for MMI research grants

News Story 1
 RCVS' Mind Matters Initiative (MMI) has launched round two of its veterinary mental health research grants.

Researchers have until 11.59pm on Wednesday, 28 May 2025 to apply for a grant for research which reflects MMI's 2025 focus areas.

Only one Impact Grant was awarded last year, and so this year there are two Discovery Grants and one Impact Grants available. Each Discovery Grant is worth £5,000 and the Impact Grant is worth £15,000.

For more information or to apply, email researchgrants@rcvs.org.uk to contact the MMI team.

 

Click here for more...
News Shorts
Germany livestock import ban lifted

The UK government has amended its ban on the import of livestock, meat and dairy products from Germany.

Defra said the decision follows 'rigorous technical assessment' of the measures applied and the current situation. "If the situation changes, we will not hesitate to take necessary action in response to the FMD outbreaks in the European Union to protect our domestic biosecurity," it said.

The ban was implemented in January following an outbreak of foot and mouth disease (FMD) near Berlin. Personal imports of meat, milk and dairy products will remain in place at a country level.