🇺🇸20%
Gen Z now comprises 20% of cat owners, a 25% increase from 2023
Source: American Pet Products Association 2025Current
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Cat owner demographics, housing types, and regional distribution
🇺🇸20%
Gen Z now comprises 20% of cat owners, a 25% increase from 2023
Cat owner demographics reveal who owns cats and how ownership varies across different groups. Age, income, housing type, and geographic location all influence cat ownership rates. These statistics help marketers target appropriate audiences, help organizations design outreach programs, and provide insights into the social dimensions of pet ownership in America.
Millennials and Gen Z now represent the largest segment of new cat owners
Rural households have higher cat ownership rates than urban households
Single-person households are more likely to own cats than dogs
Domestic cats derive from at least five founder lineages that originated across the Fertile Crescent region
Multiple female wildcats independently associated with human settlements, creating genetic diversity in the founding population
Supporting data points for this category
38%
38% of Gen Z and 46% of Millennial cat owners are men, up 17.8% and 23.9% respectively from 2023→
70%
70% of Gen Z pet owners have two or more pets→
32%
32% of UK 18-24 year-olds own cats, up from 25% in 2021→
56%
56% of UK cat owners are female and 44% are male→
27%
27% of men in UK adopted adult cats in the past 4 years compared to 18% of women→
70%
70% of UK cat owners say their cats make them feel less lonely→
65%
Quebec has the highest pet ownership rate in Canada at 65%, followed by Atlantic Canada at 64%→
39.5%
39.5% of Canadian households own at least one cat, while 38.1% own a dog→
Complete dataset with sources and citations
Common questions about owner demographics statistics