Given the furry fandom’s affinity for animals, over the years we’ve asked participants several questions about pet ownership, including whether they had ever owned a pet, currently owned a pet, and the number and type of pets currently owned.
The table below outlines the frequency of pet ownership by furries, organized by pet species.1
Pet Ownership in Furries
| Pet |
% of Furries Owning at Least One |
| Cat | 13.5 |
| Dog | 13.6 |
| Fish | 2.0 |
| Ferret | 0.5 |
| Mouse | 0.2 |
| Rat | 0.5 |
| Other Rodent | 0.6 |
| Snake | 1.2 |
| Lizard | 1.1 |
| Bird | 1.5 |
| Tarantula | 0.1 |
| Horse | 0.7 |
98% of furries have owned a pet at one point in their lives, while 68% of furries currently own a pet. Among those who own pets, furries own an average of 2.72 pets (see table below)2
It would be worth looking, in future research, at the extent to which furries want to own a pet; these numbers might help to distinguish—among the one-third of furries who do not have a pet—those who genuinely do not wish to own a pet from those who, while wanting a pet, may be unable to do so due to their current living conditions (e.g., living with their parents,3living in an apartment which does not allow pets, being unable to afford a pet4).
This data is extremely helpful, but I’ve noticed what might be a bit of an error in the table Pet Ownership in Furries. The percentages listed only added up to 35.5%, whereas percentages normally need 100%. I’m not sure if this was intended or not, so I thought I would let you guys know.
We’re glad it was helpful 🙂 The percentages don’t add up to 100% because each of these rows refers to the percentage of furries who own that particular pet; we wouldn’t expect it to add up to 100% because some furries might own more than one type of pet, and some furries might own no pets.