Almost one-in-five Canadian cat owners decided to get their feline during the COVID-19 pandemic, a new Research Co. poll has found.
In the online survey of a representative national sample, 35% of Canadians acknowledge that they currently have a cat in their home, including 38% of those aged 35-to-54, 48% of Atlantic Canadians and 41% of Quebecers.
Almost one-in-five Canadian cat owners (18%) say they have had their pet for less than a year, including 22% of women and 33% of those aged 18-to-34.
More than two-in-five Canadian cat owners (45%) have had their pet for five years or more.
In a similar Research Co. survey also conducted in February 2020, 11% of Canadian dog owners said they have had their pet for less than a year.
More than three-in-five Canadian cat owners (63%) decided to get a pet for companionship, while 39% acted because a family member wanted a cat.
Just under a third of Canadian cat owners (32%) sought fun and entertainment when they decided to get their pet, while 24% chose the animal because it is “low maintenance” and 10% got it in order to keep mice and wildlife away.
Cat owners in Alberta are significantly more likely than their counterparts in other provinces to say they acquired a cat for companionship (85%), for fun and entertainment (65%) and because it is a “low maintenance” pet (46%).
More than two-in-five Canadian cat owners (42%) say they adopted or rescued their feline from a shelter, while 18% received the cat as a gift, 13% purchased the cat at a store and 11% bought the cat directly from a breeder.
“The notion of receiving cats as gifts varies drastically across Canada,” says Mario Canseco, President of Research Co. “While 38% of Albertan cat owners say their feline was a gift, the proportion drops to 11% in Atlantic Canada and to 8% in British Columbia.”
A final question defined the soul as “the immaterial essence, animating principle, or actuating cause of an individual life.” Four-in-five Canadian cat owners (81%) say that their pet has a soul, while 10% think it does not and 8% are undecided.
Across the country, 96% of Canadian cat owners say they are “very satisfied” or “moderately satisfied” with their cat, and 79% acknowledge that their feline has been spayed or neutered.
