APPMA Releases Annual Pet Stats

Cindy C.
4 years ago

Wow thats interesting. I would've never guessed the fish would be the most prevalent!

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Cindy C.
4 years ago

I can't imagine my life without pets!!

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Themsdad
4 years ago

fish can't give you kisses

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natalie
4 years ago

i have thought about getting a fish. maybe sometime in the future.

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Tammy37
4 years ago

I own the cat , dog, and the bird

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Zokiji
4 years ago

Anyone know why it says "salt***er" fish instead of saltwater?

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Erica R.
4 years ago

cats and saltwater fish are awesome

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Edie Jo N.
4 years ago

Fish! That's interesting. They are fun to watch. Not so much fun to pet.

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Suzanne L.
4 years ago

I am not surprised by this. They are very relaxing to watch.

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EddieWayne
4 years ago

With fish being the #1 pet, I wonder if there are fish shelter?

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Jbobstep
4 years ago

With cats rising as number one furry pet in the nation, I wonder why shelters still treat them as second class citizens under dogs?

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Renee M.
4 years ago

This hasn't been true in my experience (which I am glad for!)

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Jeff K.
4 years ago

Neat story I would have never guessed that about the fish.

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Jodi S.
4 years ago

I'm not surprised that freshwater fish and cats are higher on the list than dogs because they don't require walking or the level of training most people expect for dogs. Freshwater tanks are much easier to maintain than their salt water alternative although setting them up isn't that cheap though. I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of the fish owners have bettas in substandard bowls and tanks though.

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Terry F.
4 years ago

This is a pretty interesting article. I didn't realize fish ownership was so high. We have a good size koi pond with comets mixed in. Not to mention the dogs, cat and horses, plus feeding the birds and squirrels. I guess we have most of the bases covered.

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Chitown
4 years ago

Of that freshwater fish number, I wonder how many are male bettas. They became very popular when they were paired with plants in decorative bowls a few years ago.

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Rhonda T.
4 years ago

It would be interesting to see what the new statistics are for this year. I was surprised by fish being the number one pet
I wasn't surprised by the cats though.

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Ihatesnow
4 years ago

Go fish!

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Stacy M.
4 years ago

That is alot of pets. That is why we have so many running loose and abandoned.

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Ann G.
4 years ago

I hope this number isn't too much lower when they do this survey next year. There are so many concerns about people giving away their pets because of financial hardship.

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DEREKDEMANE
4 years ago

Better fish being at 142 million than dogs or cats.

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VKiggins
4 years ago

I believe that fish are number one. Look how many are on Pet Wars

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BuilderBob
4 years ago

What are salt***er fish? A new sub-species? Saltfreer fish?

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Tarogirl
4 years ago

Maybe the cats have convinced their owners to go out and get fish....Meow

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DawnG01
4 years ago

Understandable how fish could top the charts. Easier to care for, but you need to be very responsible with fish as with any other pet. And they are soooo soothing to watch!

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Sarah W.
4 years ago

Wow. Impressive numbers. Can't believe so many fish.

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Veronica (Ronnie) G.
4 years ago

Quite impressive article! 71.1 million households have at least 1 pet, up 60% since 20 years ago! Hooray!

I too was surprised fish were the #1 pet. But then, no litter box. But a fish tank needs lots of care.

13.8 million horses as pets! So, HORSES ARE NOT LIVESTOCK! PETS! BAN HORSE SLAUGHTER. We do not slaughter our pet dogs, cats, fish, birds.

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Morgan
5 years ago

Let's hope the increase in numbers are given the best quality of life

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Cwasson
5 years ago

Wow - fishies take the prize and kitties are #2? Who would have guessed!?

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Anna
5 years ago

wow, unexpected!

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Alex J.
5 years ago

i cant belive this

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Kindra H.
5 years ago

I am surprised about fish being the most popular pets! I have never owned a fish but maybe I will consider looking into it. Happy to see that cats are leading the dogs!! Now if we can just get them some more respect......

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D. Rene
5 years ago

I would have never guessed about the fish

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Rebecca
5 years ago

I love to see the numbers on things like this, it is just kind of crazy to try to picture these amounts. I hope the fish are all well loved!

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Sharon L.
5 years ago

I was surprised at the numbers. Fish really are popular. That's where I go first when I go to the pet store.

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Jill6Johnson
5 years ago

everyone loves their pet. this is very interesting to know.

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Linda L.
5 years ago

Interesting statistics.

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Cfox929
5 years ago

This surprises me that fish are number one. Can't say that I know many people with fish anymore. Of course we see people out with their dogs or see cats but we don't really see fish due to them being indoors all the time.

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mARY ANN M.
5 years ago

I wish there was a better breakdown on "small animals". I see tons and tons of poor rabbits without homes. It seems like rabbit purchases and breeding are on the rise although ownership appears to be temporary at best.

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Iseeurn
5 years ago

Interesting.... census for pets, cool

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Tanya F.
5 years ago

Never hear about fish being number one but they are easy keepers and cheap. I myself have about 10 and it is much easier than the 5 dogs, 5 cats, 2 horses I also have and they take up much less room.

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Rebecca A.
5 years ago

Yeah I believe that, fish are easy to take care of and cheap.

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EddieP
5 years ago

Interesting stats. I know in our neighborhood I see people walking dogs all of the time and there are many dogs parks.

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John R.
5 years ago

Some of those pet fish are better viewed from outside the tank. I have the feeling a lot of them wouldn't be too affectionate -- the Chinese fighting fish, etc.

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Greg K.
5 years ago

Be good to your own animals. Be better to animals that are not yours, they may nat have anyone to advocate for them.

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Seana B.
5 years ago

Wow, has there really been such a drastic increase in the amount of pet ownership? Or could it be an artifact of the survey itself somehow. Thats a really huge increase! I would be interested to find out what kind of changes in society would have promoted that kind of change.

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Linda W.
5 years ago

Interesting. Fish are fairly easy and are kept in groups so this may be why there are so many.

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Cassie3
5 years ago

It's a lot easier to take care of fish than a large dog who has to be walked every day. This makes sense.

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WANSTREET
5 years ago

Fish are relaxing to watch and easy to take care of so it makes sense. I'll stick with my furry friends.

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linda s.
5 years ago

cool

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Jess L.
5 years ago

I think fish are good pets for children to start out caring for to learn responsiblities. I had fish as a child and for about 10 years after that. I don't have them anymore because I move alot and it's too much dragging around a 20 gallon fish tank everywhere. I upgraded to cats!

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