Cats can have three litters a year, with an average of five kittens per litter 1 . The rapid reproduction of cats in urban areas contributes to the large numbers of stray cats that are put down by animal welfare agencies each year. Another large cost involved in owning a pet is feeding. Australian households also spent 2.5 million hours caring for, grooming and exercising their cats and dogs. Households who kept only cats spent on average 38 minutes per day caring for, grooming and exercising pedigree cats and 25 minutes per day on non-pedigree cats.
Dogs take more time to care for and, in particular, to exercise.
Households with only dogs spent on average 50 minutes per day caring for, grooming and exercising their dog. An important responsibility for pet owners is controlling their cat's or dog's behaviour, especially when children are around. Children under four years old are at higher risk of being bitten by a dog or cat than older children. This possibly reflects the fact that younger children are more likely than older children to be at home with the family pet. Most of the injuries occurred at home, bites were the most common injury and the head was the most frequently injured part of the body.