UK Pet Population Statistics: How Many Dogs, Cats & Other Pets Live in the UK

Ask how many pets live in the UK and you'll get more than one answer, which trips up a lot of articles. The two most-quoted authorities, the PDSA and UK Pet Food, both publish careful national estimates, yet their headline numbers don't match. Here are the current figures from each, why they differ, and how to use them without getting caught out.

The headline UK pet numbers

Two organisations run the UK's best-known annual pet population surveys. This is what each currently estimates.

| Species | PDSA PAW Report (2025) | UK Pet Food (latest) | |---|---|---| | Dogs | 11.1 million | ~15.5 million | | Cats | 10.5 million | ~13 million | | Rabbits | 700,000 | ~500,000 | | Households with a pet | — | ~62% |

The PDSA figures come from its 2025 PAW (PDSA Animal Wellbeing) Mini Report, based on fieldwork carried out between 17 December 2024 and 12 January 2025. UK Pet Food's figures come from its own annual population survey. Both are legitimate. Neither is "the" official number, because the UK has no compulsory pet census.

Why two trusted sources disagree

This is the part most stats pages skip, and it's the most useful thing to understand. The gap isn't a mistake, it's a method.

Different samples and questions. The PDSA works with YouGov. It first asks a large, nationally representative sample (10,975 UK adults in 2025) whether they own a pet to establish how common ownership is, then surveys a big panel of dog, cat and rabbit owners (5,387 in 2025) for the detail. UK Pet Food commissions a separate consumer survey through a different research agency, with its own sample and questionnaire.

Different base. UK Pet Food usually reports the percentage of *households* that own a pet. The PDSA headlines the percentage of *adults* who own each species (30% of adults own a dog, 24% own a cat, 2% own a rabbit). A household and an adult aren't the same unit, so the percentages aren't interchangeable.

Estimation, not a headcount. Both scale survey answers up to the whole country using population and household data. Any such estimate carries a margin of error, and the PDSA explicitly shows a high-and-low band around its figures rather than a single exact count.

The practical takeaway: quote one source consistently, name it, and give the year. Don't blend a dog number from one survey with a cat number from another, and don't present an estimate as an exact figure.

Dogs, cats and rabbits: the long-term trend

The PDSA has tracked the same three species since 2011, which makes its data the best guide to direction of travel. The pattern is clear and consistent.

• Dogs are at a record high. The estimated dog population has grown to 11.1 million, the highest since tracking began. In 2011 it was around 8.2 million.
• Cats are broadly steady. At 10.5 million, the cat population has held fairly level for years. Interestingly, it was *higher* in 2011 (around 11.8 million), so cats have dipped slightly over the long run while dogs have climbed.
• Rabbits are in long-term decline. From roughly 1.6 million in 2011 to about 700,000 now, the UK's third most popular "traditional" pet has more than halved.

For comparison, the PDSA's 2024 report estimated 10.6 million dogs, 10.8 million cats and 800,000 rabbits, so the 2025 figures show dogs rising, cats easing back and rabbits continuing to fall.

The full UK pet population by species

Dogs and cats dominate the headlines, but plenty of other animals share UK homes. UK Pet Food's survey is the go-to source here because it counts species the PDSA doesn't. Its latest "top ten" estimates are approximately:

| Pet | Estimated UK population | |---|---| | Dogs | 15.5 million | | Cats | 13 million | | Indoor birds | 1.4 million | | Guinea pigs | 700,000 | | Tortoises & turtles | 700,000 | | Horses & ponies | 600,000 | | Snakes | 600,000 | | Domestic fowl | 900,000 | | Rabbits | 500,000 | | Pigeons | 500,000 |

Fish are counted differently, by household rather than by head, because a single tank or pond holds many. UK Pet Food estimates roughly 13% of households keep indoor fish and about 11% keep fish in an outdoor pond, which makes fish among the most numerous pets of all once you count individuals.

How many UK households own a pet

UK Pet Food's most useful single statistic is household penetration: it estimates that around 62% of UK households own at least one pet, together caring for roughly 36 to 37 million animals. In its 2024 figures that was 17.2 million households (60%) and about 36 million pets, so ownership has crept up rather than fallen back after the pandemic surge.

If you only remember one number for a headline, "about six in ten UK households have a pet" is the safest, because it's a household-level figure that both common sense and multiple surveys support.

Where people actually get their pets

The PAW Report also tracks how pets join their families, which matters if you're thinking about getting a pet yourself. In 2025 the most common source varied by species:

• Dogs most often come from a breeder (33%).
• Cats most often come from a rescue or rehoming centre (33%).
• Rabbits most often come from a pet shop or garden centre (26%).

Around 6% of owners say their pet came from abroad, including UK-based rescues that import animals. Encouragingly, half of people who bought from a breeder visited more than once before taking their pet home, and two-thirds saw the puppy or kitten with its mother, both signs of more careful buying. If you're weighing up a rescue against a breeder, our guides on becoming a first-time dog owner and getting a kitten walk through what each route involves.

What owning a pet costs, and how worried people are

Cost is now central to the pet-ownership story, and the PAW data captures it well.

• 46% of dog owners say owning a pet is more expensive than they expected, up from a third when the question was last asked in 2023. Cat (41%) and rabbit (56%) owners say much the same.
• Around 90% of owners believe the cost of owning a pet has increased.
• 51% are worried about being able to afford veterinary care.
• Faced with an unexpected vet bill, 35% would rely on pet insurance, 23% would use savings and 15% would reach for a credit card.

That last set of numbers is a strong argument for planning ahead. Only 61% of dogs, 46% of cats and 24% of rabbits are insured, which leaves a lot of owners exposed to a bill they'd struggle to meet.

Preventive care: microchips, neutering and vaccinations

Ownership statistics also reveal how well the nation looks after its pets. From the 2025 PAW Report:

• Registered with a vet: 90% of dogs, 85% of cats, 79% of rabbits.
• Microchipped: 82% of dogs, 78% of cats, 23% of rabbits. Among microchipped pets, 91% of owners say their contact details are up to date.
• Neutered: 84% of cats, 64% of dogs, 59% of rabbits.
• Up-to-date booster vaccinations: 81% of dogs, 67% of cats, 61% of rabbits.

Microchipping has been compulsory for dogs in England for years, and since June 2024 pet cats in England must be microchipped too, which helps explain the high chipping rates for both. Rabbits, kept as pets in far smaller numbers and not covered by chipping law, lag well behind on nearly every measure.

Pet ownership and wellbeing

Why do so many of us keep pets despite the rising cost? The PAW Report is unusually direct on this. Owners were asked how their pet affects their life, and the agreement levels are striking:

• 91% say owning their pet improves their life.
• 88% say it makes them mentally healthier.
• 87% say it makes them feel less lonely.
• 68% call their pet their best friend.

Most people (81%) have also experienced the loss of a pet, and 94% of them say that pet's memory lives on in their heart. If you're facing that yourself, our guide on getting another pet after loss may help you think it through.

How to quote UK pet statistics correctly

Because the numbers vary by source, it's easy to publish something that's technically wrong. Run through this checklist before you cite a figure:

• Name the source and the year. "11.1 million dogs (PDSA PAW Report, 2025)" is defensible. "11.1 million dogs" on its own isn't.
• Don't mix sources in one claim. Use PDSA figures together or UK Pet Food figures together, not one dog number from each.
• Keep households and adults separate. "62% of households" and "30% of adults own a dog" measure different things.
• Say "estimated". These are survey-based estimates with a margin of error, not a census.
• Check for an update. Both surveys refresh annually, so a two-year-old figure may already be out of date.

Common questions this data answers

A quick reality check on the numbers people most often get wrong: there are more dogs than cats in the UK on both surveys today, reversing the older picture where cats led. Rabbits, despite their reputation as a common "starter pet", are now a fairly niche pet at well under a million. And no single figure is "official", the UK simply doesn't run a pet census, so every headline number you see is one organisation's best estimate.

Sources

• PDSA – UK pet populations of dogs, cats and rabbits
• PDSA – PAW Mini Report 2025 (PDF)
• PDSA – PAW Report 2024: Pet Populations
• UK Pet Food – UK Pet Population
• UK Pet Food – Historical Pet Population Data