Cat and dog owning households in Spain 2010-2023

Among the wide variety of animals kept as pets, cats and dogs are the most common. In Spain, dogs seem to be the most popular pet, with 27 percent of Spanish households owing at least one canine in 2023. The share of households that owned a cat experienced an ongoing decrease over the recent years, falling to 11 percent in 2019 down from a 21 percent in 2010. This figure picked up again in 2022 to reach 17 percent.

Dogs: Spain’s favorite domestic animal

The popularity of dogs in Spain cannot be denied – the number of hounds has only increased in the last years, reaching figures of approximately 9.3 million in 2023. The number of stray and street dogs recused on the Spanish streets saw a drop over time, falling from 108,300 dogs in 2013 down to 104,700. This figure, however, increased dramatically in 2019.

The situation of pet cats in Spain

Spanish homes had around 5.8 million pet cats in 2023, which is about half the number of that of dogs the same year. The number of rescued stray or street felines was also significantly lower compared to dogs, until figures rocketed in 2019. The fate of rescued street and stray pets normally has a happy ending, with nearly half of them adopted by a new family and 18 percent returned to their original homes that year.