Pet Owners Put Pets on Xmas Gift List

Dec. 22, 2006 -- Attention, Santa: Six in 10 Americans are pet owners, and more than two-thirds of them have ever given their pets Christmas gifts.

That's according to a new Gallup poll of about 1,000 U.S. adults.

The poll, conducted by telephone, also shows most Americans -- 70% -- call themselves "dog people," while 20% call themselves "cat people" in their pet preferences.

The remaining 10% voiced no preference.

Other findings from the poll include:

• 27% own a dog but not a cat
• 12% own a cat but not a dog
• 17% own a cat and a dog
• 3% own pets other than cats or dogs
• 40% don't own pets

Here's a look at America's pet ownership beyond dogs and cats:

• 10% own a fish
• 5% own birds
• 2% have reptiles, snakes, or lizards
• 2% have hamsters and guinea pigs
• 2% have horses
• 1% have rabbits

Sixty percent of participants said they think pet owners lead more satisfying lives than people without pets. Only 3% say people without pets are more satisfied.

The rest either said pets don't affect life satisfaction or had no opinion.

The poll sampled 1,010 randomly selected adults aged 18 or older and was conducted Dec. 11-14. The margin of error is +/- 3%.

SOURCE: Gallup News Service.