The American Veterinary Medical Association has released the new edition of its Pet Ownership and Demographics Sourcebook. This resource is based on a survey of over 2,000 US pet owners.

Here are some key findings (the full document is available from the AVMA’s store):

• Overall pet ownership trends show that the number of households with pets is increasing, but the number of pets per household is decreasing.
• The average annual expenditure on veterinary care is $354, which is about 33% of total pet spending.

• The most common reasons for not bringing a pet to the veterinarian are financial concerns about “value and affordability.”
• Pet owner satisfaction with veterinary practices is due largely to the quality of service and knowledge of staff members.
• People who live in houses are more likely to own dogs than apartment dwellers. Cat ownership is not affected by the type of housing.

• The AVMA has categorized pet owners into 5 categories, based on responses to the survey: Pet pamperers, Enthusiastic families, Low key/child-free, Occupied owners, and Casual caretakers.
• Pamperers were found to spend nearly $500 per year on veterinary care, while caretakers spent around $140.