Among the most popular pets in the United States, cats are second only to dogs. According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, nearly 32 million households own cats. Cats can be expensive. The price of a purebred kitten is between US$200 and US$2,000. ASPCA reports that the cost of raising a cat is more than $600 per year. This includes food, toys, litter boxes and veterinarian visits.

The study of cats has become a small industry. According to Smithsonian Magazine, there are many studies on whether cats are smarter than dogs. The key conclusion is

Currently, we have no clear answer as to whether cats or dogs are smarter—or even how significant the difference is—let alone which is “better”.

Cat ownership is not uniform across the United States. In order to select the state with the most cats, 24/7 Tempo reviewed the data in the "Pet Ownership and Demographics" published by the American Veterinary Medical Association in 2020 for the companion animal veterinary and animal health industry.

The data was collected from 2017 to 2018 and is the latest data available, reflecting the total number of households in the 48 adjacent states of the United States as of December 31, 2016, and the number and percentage of households with cats.

Cats seem to be particularly popular in the Northeast. The states with the most cats include Vermont, Maine and New Hampshire-although another New England state, Rhode Island, ranks last in terms of cats. Just like the cat itself, statistics seem to have their own ideas.

The state with the most pets is Vermont. Here are the details:

> Households with at least one cat: 44.6%> Number of households with cats: 118,000 — seventh smallest> Number of human households: 265,000 — second smallest> Cat population: 150,000 — fourth smallest

Click here to read the states with the most cats as pets