Sixty Percent of Single Catholics Own a Pet

Editor's Note: Today, we welcome an interesting guest article from CatholicMatch.com. As we near the feast of St. Francis of Assisi, we found this perspective on pet ownership fascinating. LMH

Sixty percent of single Catholics own a pet
Twice as many dog owners as cat owners  

PITTSBURGH, Aug. 25, 2011 -- As the feast of St. Francis of Assisi approaches, CatholicMatch.com, the nation's leading Catholic dating site, has new insights on pet ownership among the faithful.

A national survey reveals that the majority of single Catholics owns pets, a key source of companionship. Unmarried women are more likely to have pets than their male counterparts. The survey also reveals that twice as many singles own dogs as cats.

"Single life can be a lot less lonely when you can come home to a pet every day," says Christina Ries, CatholicMatch.com, editor. "Singles say their pets provide companionship and demonstrate a host of virtues, from loyalty to unconditional love."

Specific highlights include:

• 60 percent of single Catholics own a pet
• Among the 40 percent of single Catholics who don't own a pet, 64 percentsay they would consider getting one.
• Among singles, there are twice as many dog owners (33 percent) as cat owners (15 percent). Though dogs are more popular than cats among Americans in general, this disparity exceeds the national average, proving canines' disproportionate popularity among unmarried Americans.
• 10 percent of singles own both a dog and a cat or multiple of each.
• Dogs are most popular with 18- to 25-year-olds: 41 percent of polled single Catholics in this age group own dogs. Cats, conversely, are most popular with older singles: 17 percent of those who are 51 and older own cats.

This data was pulled from a national survey issued by CatholicMatch.com over its network and represents the attitudes and behaviors of the more than 1,000 single men and women that completed this poll between Aug. 1 to Aug. 24, 2011.

About CatholicMatch.com

CatholicMatch.com is the largest online community for Catholic singles seeking marriage, friendship, and religious discernment. For more than 11 years, CatholicMatch has provided a uniquely Catholic experience for the community it serves.  CatholicMatch has distinguished itself by reaching a broad spectrum of Catholics in the pews, understanding that each person is at a different place in his or her faith journey. CatholicMatch now reaches 96 countries while having served more than 750,000 people.