[Daniel7]

More than half of American pet owners surveyed recently say their pets are essentially members of their family -- no different than any other member of the household.



The poll, conducted by Petside.com and The Associated Press, found singles of both genders, but especially single women (66 percent), were more likely to say that their pet is a full member of the family. Another 36 percent said their pet is part of the family but not a full member.

Forty-three percent of pet owners think their dog or cat has a sense of style. One in five people dress them fashionably. Dogs are more likely to be dressed up, with almost a quarter of dog owners saying they've purchased an outfit for their pet, compared with 12 percent of cat owners. (This is no suprise to any cat owner who tried to put anything on the kitty....)

The doggies and kitties are apparently eating well, too, as 43 percent of respondents admitted to feeding their pets people food at least sometimes, with more dog owners doing so (48 percent) than cat owners (40 percent).

Dog owners seem to treat their pets more like members of the family, in that they're more likely to have taken their pet to a family vacation than cat owners (50 percent vs. 39 percent). They are also more likely to have included their pet in a holiday card (37 percent vs. 33 percent) or family portrait (38 percent vs. 32 percent). Canines are also more likely to be taken to work as opposed to felines (21 percent vs. 14 percent).

Still, more cat owners (36 percent) allow their furry friends to sleep in the same bed with them, as opposed to dog owners (29 percent), with married people more likely to relegate their pets to its own bed than singles. And, birthday celebrations cut across the playing field, with 29 percent of dog owners marking the occasion in comparison to 26 percent of cat owners.

Singles were more likely to say a pet was a full member of the family than married people — 66 percent of single women versus 46 percent of married women, for example. And men were less likely to call their pet a full member of the household.

For some single women, pets become surrogate children, said Kristen Nelson, a veterinarian in Scottsdale, Ariz. She said men are also attached to pets — but are less likely to admit it because it’s not seen as masculine.

Debbie Jablonski, 50, of Wilmington, N.C., talks about her cats like a mom talks about her children.

Milkshake, who sleeps at the foot of her bed, sticks his cold nose on her eyelid and touches his paw to her face at 4:30 a.m. to wake her up and feed him. The other cat, Licorice, sleeps on the couch and has a habit of sitting on her newspaper when she is trying to read it.

“If you try to budge her, she will not move,” said Jablonski, laughing. “You will have to practically pick her up and move her.”

Unleashed: Poll: Pets are people, too - A blog for animal lovers on pets, dogs, cats, shelters and animal rescue - baltimoresun.com