There are more and more cats than dogs as pets in Catalonia: why?

If having dogs was once the prelude to having children modern life doesn’t even let us do that anymore, and now Catalans are increasingly settling for the less demanding (or more homely) version of domestic pets: cats.

Catalonia is “felinizing”, as explained in a survey by the Col-legi de Veterinaris de Catalunya, which shows that there are more and more cats and less and less dogs in Catalan homes.

Record number of felines at home

It’s a change in trend. In 2o21, a record high in pet ownership was reached, in large part, they say, because of the Covid-19 pandemic, which forced more people to stay at home (and gave dog owners the benefit of going out to walk their dogs). 123,000 registrations, 70% of them dogs. There were 123,000 discharges, 70% of them dogs, but that was the last year.

From this point on, a change in trend has been observed and according to data from the Arxiu d’Identificació d’Animals de Companyia (AIAC), in 2024 the number of new registrations of cats increased by 14.2% compared to 2021, while those of dogs fell by 23%.

According to Paula Calvo, PhD in Anthrozoology and one of those responsible for the study, “we start from an under-identification of cats, which were not used to be registered and that, even so, today, only 5% of cats arriving at shelters have the chip, compared to 33% of dogs”. Therefore , it is likely that the number of cats in Catalan homes is even higher.

From the Col-legi de Veterinaris de Catalunya they explain that cats are perceived as an animal easier to take care of, and, although the care they need is less than that of a dog, many people underestimate the care they need and return them at the slightest setback.

For his part, José Luis Condom, professor at the University of Barcelona and PhD in Sociology, explains that humans often choose to have pets because “they are the antidote to loneliness and depression”. For Condom, a very important reason for preferring a cat to a dog may be the changes in the work environment, especially in terms of schedules, which allow less time.