13 mio dogs and 12 mio cats

The UK's Pet Food Manufacturers' Association (PFMA) has unveiled its Top Ten pet chart with over six in ten households (62 per cent) owning some kind of pet. The survey of almost 9 000 UK households confirmed that dogs top the charts at 13 mio (34 per cent of UK households), followed closely by cats with a population of 12 mio (28 per cent of households). Households with both a cat and dog are up slightly to 11 per cent (3.2 mio).
Also featuring in the charts are 1.6 mio indoor birds, 1.4 mio domestic fowl, 1 mio rabbits, 900 000 guinea pigs, 700 000 pigeons, 600 000 hamsters, 600 000 tortoises (and turtles) and 600 000 horses (and ponies).
In addition to the Top Ten, fish are popular with 8 mio indoor fish tanks (17 per cent of households) and 6.5 mio outdoor ponds (12 per cent of households). These figures are up by around 60 per cent on last year, when 5 mio owned an indoor tank and 4.1 mio had a pond, the PFMA states.