That Figures/ All the creature comforts of home, for cats and dogs that is

[Crossfire Bulldogs]

by Mayo Issobe, Staff Writer


THE "BEWARE of dog" sign can be misleading. More often than not, dogs these days are kept as pets rather than as guards for the home. And while cats will always chase mice, they, too, hold an honored position in most households.

In short, cats and dogs increasingly are regarded as members of the family.

An October 2004 Internet survey by the Pet Food Manufacturers Association that covered more than 3,400 people nationwide found that 69.6 percent of households with two or more people said they kept dogs because they "like dogs." Also, 66.3 percent said they kept dogs because "it's fun to be with dogs," while 65.5 percent said simply that dogs are adorable. Keeping a dog to guard the property came in sixth at 28.7 percent. Respondents were allowed multiple answers.

Among cat owners in households with two or more individuals, the most popular reply, 71.1 percent, was that felines are adorable, followed by 70.3 percent who said they like cats and 58.4 percent who said cats are fun to be around. Having a cat to catch mice ranked 10th at 5 percent.

Among two-person-or-more households, 23.4 percent owned dogs, 12.9 percent cats, 8.7 percent goldfish and 5.5 percent killifish. But 52 percent had no pets.

Among singles, 8.2 percent had dogs, 7.9 percent cats, 2.6 percent goldfish and 2.2 percent tropical fish. But 79.1 percent did not keep a pet.

Asked why, 70.3 percent of those in a household of two or more living in apartments cited bans on pets in their housing complexes.

Still, a survey by the Real Estate Economic Institute Co. shows that apartment complexes increasingly are dropping their opposition to pets on the premises.

In 2004, 47,673 apartment units made newly available in the Tokyo metropolitan area allowed residents to keep pets, up 22.2 percent from the previous year.

Some pet owners are thinking ahead.

An Internet survey of 309 people conducted by funeral and memorial service operator Memorial Art Ohnoya Inc. found that 53 percent agreed it was either a "very good" or a "good" idea to bury their pets in the family plot. But 36 percent were not keen.