Cat vs. Dog - Which Loved More in Japan?

How about you? If you're a pet owner, whatever you keep is your pick - so that's that. But then, here in Japan a new vogue is setting in. I'm Nathan Shiga here to tell what that is.

A survey shows those who live alone tend to look for mates among some unusual organisms. Cats and dogs are usual enough, so leave them alone. Rabbits may be discarded, too. Let me list you several such organisms looking for lonesome humans. 

Corn snake, aquatic turtle and hedgehog - how about them? Owl, hamster and guinea pig? What do say to taratula and concave land hermit crab? To me, a friend of dogs, all these beat me.

No, I'm not telling you about these friends of the lonesome. I have a cool data to share with you about which tops the other in Japan - cats or dogs for pets.

A recent survey on the populations of cats and dogs in 2015 done by the Pet Foods Association by January 30 this year shows that there are 9.874 million cats and 9.917 dogs living as pets in Japan. The survey has it that the population of dogs has been falling since 2012 whereas that of cats leveling or slightly increasing. 

The association comments the population of dogs peaked in 2008 at 13.101 million and has fallen by 24% over the subsequent 8 years, because, it says neither working singles nor aging elders have ample time walking dogs. For the same reason, free-walking cats have a chance of securing owners. 

Age-wise, says the survey, 54.6% of the dogs kept as pets are over 7 years old and are likely to fall in number, whereas cats under age 6 account for 54.4% of the total population.

In terms of longevity of these two animals kept at home over the last decade, cats outlived dogs, 15.78 and 14.85 years respectively.

An aging society is bound to be harder to live in for dogs. Umm.