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AP-Petside.com Poll Reveals: Majority of Pet Owners Believe They Can 'Talk to the Animals' 67% Claim to Understand What Their Pet Is Saying

Posted on: Wednesday, 17 December 2008, 08:00 CST

Pets Appear Recession-Proof: Only 15% of Pet Owners Cutting Back on Care But Types of Cuts Could Endanger Animals

Dog Owners More Likely Than Cat Owners to Buy Holiday Gifts for Their Pet

ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS, N.J., Dec. 17 /PRNewswire/ -- According a new AP-Petside.com Poll from the Associated Press (www.ap.org) and Petside.com (www.petside.com), a popular pet care and news site, the majority of pet owners in the U.S. would like to believe they have a lot in common with the fictional Dr. Dolittle, with 67 percent claiming that they comprehend their pet's own language. In addition, 62 percent think their pet understands what they are saying as well.

However, all species are not created equal in this regard, with more than two-thirds (69%) of surveyed dog owners insisting that their dogs understand them when they speak to them, in contrast to just half (50%) of cat owners asserting that their cats understand what they are saying.

Gender also plays a role, with far more women than men reporting that they are on the same wavelength as their pets. 71 percent of women think their pets understand them most of the time, compared with just 53 percent of men. And when looking at it the other way around, 73 percent of women think they understand the utterances of their animals, compared to 59 percent of men.

The poll also explored how the recession is impacting pet owners' relationships with their animals, finding that the majority of respondents (85%) are not cutting back on pet care expenses due to economic pressures. Predictably, lower-income pet owners are twice as likely to have had to make cuts than higher-income owners (11% vs. 20%).

Among those reducing pet-related expenditures (15%), cutbacks can be drastic. Half of those making cuts (54%) stated that they are deferring routine visits to the veterinarian, while one in five (21%) are also putting off vet visits for serious problems. Moreover, one in four (27%) are even considering giving up their pet due to financial difficulties.

Nevertheless, a good number of pet owners plan to include their pet in holiday festivities this year. Canines have it over felines when it comes to owners expecting to buy a holiday present for their pet (48% vs. 28%), but overall, 43 percent of animal-owners plan on purchasing a gift for their pet to keep the season bright.

The AP-Petside.com Poll was conducted by GfK Public Affairs & Media from December 3-8, 2008 and involved landline and cell phone interviews with 1,129 randomly chosen pet owners. The poll has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 2.9 percentage points.

About Petside.com

Petside.com (www.petside.com) was created by NBC Universal, in partnership with Procter & Gamble Productions, Inc., as a comprehensive source of information and services that helps pets and their owners get the most out of life. Offering customized content and a highly personalized experience, Petside.com is ranked among the top 10 pet Web sites and offers unique editorial features, expert Q&A's, tools and how-to videos.

About the AP:

The Associated Press is the essential global news network, delivering fast, unbiased news from every corner of the world, to all media platforms and formats. Founded in 1846, AP today is the largest and most trusted source of independent news and information. On any given day, more than half the world's population sees news from AP.

SOURCE Petside.com

Source: PR Newswire

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