Ownership.

Pets of all kinds became increasingly prominent in U.S. households during the 1990s. According to a 1996 survey undertaken by the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), 59 percent of American households owned at least one pet. Yet, the same survey also indicated that as the population aged, the percentage of pet-owning households declined. In 1996, 27 percent of American households owned a cat, down from 31 percent in 1987. Those who did own pets, however, were likely to own more of them in the 1990s than a decade earlier. The average number of dogs in households was 1.69 in 1996, up from 1.51 in 1987. The average number of cats was 2.19 in 1996, up from 1.95 in 1987. The total number of dogs owned increased from 52.4 million in 1987 to 52.9 million in 1996; cats increased from 54.6 million to 59.1 million during that same period. In addition to these animals, Americans during the 1990s owned 13 million birds...