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By: Ysabel Tang
Feel like you’re seeing more dogs at the park these days? It's not just your imagination.
The COVID pet boom saw a significant rise in pet ownership in Australia.
In a 2022 study about pet ownership, Animal Medicines Australia (AMA) found Australia's pet population was a whopping 28.7 million—pets outnumbered people that year.
Pets could be found in 6.9 million households, making up 69 per cent of all homes in Australia. This was compared to a consistent 61 per cent in 2016 and 2019, pre-pandemic.
The study tells a clear story: Pets are a big part of our lives in Australia.
But who are these furry, feathered, and scaled companions? Who owns them? How much are we spending on them? Are we dog or cat lovers?
We wanted to know.
So, we teamed up with PerthNow to survey 7,514 Western Australians (and over 13,000 of their pets) to find out.
Here are some of things we learned about pet ownership in Western Australia in the 2024 Pet Census.
Most popular pet types
We are undeniably dog lovers here in WA.
Over 55 per cent of pet owners have a dog, while cats come in second at 33.5 per cent. Birds (3.4 per cent), rabbits and guinea pigs (2.2 per cent), and fish (1.4 per cent) make up the rest of our pet population.
The remaining 2.3 per cent of pets are a little more unconventional. Among them we recorded five ferrets, three dingoes, a beehive, and a camel named ‘Sweet Pea’.
The most popular dog and cat breeds were similar compared to last year’s census results.
Most popular dog breeds
Staffordshire bull terrier
American Staffordshire terrier
Labrador
Australian kelpie
Border collie
Compared to 2023, border collies moved from first to fifth position. Cavoodles lost their position in the top five, with Australian kelpies making the list instead.
Most popular cat breeds
Domestic short hair
Domestic medium short hair
Tabby
Domestic long hair
Ragdoll
There were no significant shifts in favourite cat breeds. The top five remain the same, with a position swap between tabby (previously fourth position) and domestic long hair (previously third position) cats.
Most popular pet names
The two most popular pet names are the same for dogs and cats in this year’s Pet Census.
Luna and Bella are the top two names for both dogs and cats.
Pop culture also influenced many pet names.
In the top ten cat names, Disney’s The Lion King claimed two spots with Simba and Nala.
Star Wars fans were aplenty amongst respondents, with Ahsoka the cat, Maximus Zeus Groot Darth Vader Bishop the German Shepherd, and 28 variations on the name Chewbacca.
Top dog names
Luna
Bella
Charlie
Daisy
Archie
Buddy
Ruby
Bailey
Molly
Coco
Top cat names
Luna
Bella
Simba
Willow
Leo
George
Lily
Lok
Nala
Charlie
Where pets come from
Adoption is the most popular method of acquiring a pet (43 per cent). The percentage of cats and dogs acquired through adoption is similar at 45 per cent.
This figure is up on last year's census results—41 per cent of pets were acquired through adoption in 2023.
Outside of adoption, pets are acquired through breeders (37 per cent), at pet shops (7 per cent), and as gifts (3 per cent). Around 10 per cent of pets are acquired via other means—inherited from family members or friends, from accidental litters, or taken in as strays.
Who owns pets, how many, and where they live
Pets are universally beloved amongst all household types, with pet ownership neatly reflecting the general household make-up of WA.
Families with kids make up 38 per cent of pet owners—32 per cent are couples with kids, and 6 per cent are singles with kids. The rest of our pet population live with couples (36 per cent), singles (20 per cent) and empty nesters (5 per cent).
Most households have one pet (47 per cent), followed by two pets (32 per cent). A surprising 20 per cent of households have three or more pets.
These beloved members of our families largely live in free-standing houses (84 per cent), with the rest in apartments (10 per cent) and townhouses (4 per cent).
How much pets cost
From puppy birthday parties to cat hotels, it’s easy imagine some extravagant pet costs.
But there aren’t as many pampered fur children as you might think—most pet owners spend less than $100 per month on food, grooming, daycare, treats, and toys.
For those who spend over $100 per month, 33.5 per cent spend $100-$200, and 24 per cent spend upwards of $200.
However, these monthly costs don't include vet bills, which for some pet owners, add over $3,000 to the yearly cost of owning a pet.
While 40 per cent of pet owners managed to keep vet bills under $500, most spent over $500 in the past 12 months.
A quarter spent between $500 and $1000, 17 per cent spent between $1000 and $3000, 5 per cent spent between $3000 and $5000, and the remaining 5 per cent spent over $5000.
Despite some huge vet bills, more than half of owners didn't have pet insurance.
Cost of living played heavily on pet owners’ minds when it came to getting pet insurance. Two thirds of pet owners said rising financial costs had influenced their decision to not get it.
But there was still a large proportion of pets that were insured, with 40 per cent of pet owners holding a policy.
