Pet ownership is more common among members of the gay and lesbian community
than it is among heterosexuals in the United States, a new report finds.
    In addition, gay men and lesbians tend to buy treats and snack for
their animals more frequently than heterosexuals, according to the fourth
edition of Packaged Facts' "The U.S. Gay and Lesbian Market."
    Citing data compiled by the 2002/2003 Gay/Lesbian Consumer Online
Census, the report says that nearly four out of five gay and lesbian
respondents reported owning a pet. Lesbians were more likely than gay men to
have a pet (87 percent vs. 71 percent); gay men were slightly more likely to
own dogs than cats (41 percent vs. 38 percent), and lesbians were more
likely to own cats than dogs (60 percent vs. 53 percent).
    One-fifth of the respondents reported spending between $300 and $432
annually on their pet.
    In addition to the online census data, the Packaged Facts report cites
two other sources that drew similar conclusions regarding gay and lesbian
pet ownership.
    A survey of the readership of Curve magazine found that 56 percent of
lesbian respondents owned a cat and 46 percent owned a dog. The average
reader reported spending $433 annually on her pets.
    Also, the report cites a survey by Witeck-Combs Communications /Harris
Interactive that found that 66 percent of lesbian and gay respondents owned
pets, compared to 63 percent of heterosexual respondents.
    In addition, the same survey found that 31 percent of gays and lesbians
reported buying their animals special pet treats or snacks at least once or
twice a week to almost daily, compared to 22 percent of heterosexual
respondents that reported buying such items with that frequency"