Decline in the number of cats

German households were home to 34.4 million dogs, cats, small animals and cage birds last year, along with ornamental fish and reptiles. 46 per cent of all households had at least one pet. The figures come from a representative survey of 5 000 households conducted by the Skopos market research company for the Industrial Association of Pet Care Producers (Industrieverband Heimtierbedarf, IVH) and the German Pet Trade & Industry Association (Zentralverband Zoologischer Fachbetriebe, ZZF). 

Cats maintained their position as the most popular pet, with 15.2 mio kept by 24 per cent of German households, although the number had declined by 1.5 mio compared with 2021. Dogs were in second place: 10.6 mio dogs lived in 21 per cent of households, an increase of 300 000 over 2021. A total of 4.9 mio small animals including rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters and mice were kept as pets in five per cent of German households. This figure had also increased by 300 000. Compared with the previous year, the number of cage birds increased by as much as 600 000 to approximately 3.7 mio and featured in three per cent of households. The number of aquariums remained the same at 2.3 mio in four per cent of households, while three per cent of households had garden ponds with ornamental fish. The number of terrariums increased by 100 000 to 1.3 mio in two per cent of households.