What are the most common pets in Italy? North and South think differently

The love of Italians for pets is known: every year they are spent 949 million euros for our four-legged friends (against 633 million for children).

Furthermore, the total number of pets (65 million) exceeds that of the total population (59 million), for a total of 1.1 pets per inhabitant.

But what are the most popular pets in our country? Let’s find out if Italians prefer dogs or cats, how many share the house with crickets or snakes and how habits change from north to south.

The most common pets in Italy: a heads up

The most common pets in Italy, according to various surveys, would be dog and cat, respectively 60% and 58% of the sample interviewed; it is therefore a real head-to-head between the two most loved animals of all time, which however varies according to the regions taken into consideration.

Indeed, the cat is more present in the north than in the south, where instead the dog predominates. It is not known whether this data is due only to matters of taste, or whether it affects the presence of more confined spaces in the north and a more frenetic life (a cat can live peacefully in an apartment and does not need to go out to do its needs).

For more than 70% of those interviewed by the YouGov portal, in fact, the dog or the cat is a member of the family to all intents and purposes, to talk to (70%), sleep (41%), play (73%) and travel (24%).

However, if the vast majority is fconducive to the presence of dogs and cats in public spaces such as parks and, to a lesser extent, on means of transport and on the beach (69% for dogs but only 46% for cats), only one interviewee out of three is in favor of the presence of dogs and cats in closed places such as offices and museums.

The percentages still drop when it comes to restaurants and grocery stores, while beyond the 70% are in favor of the presence of dogs and cats in the hotel.

After all, the love for dogs and cats is not only Italian; even, some famous people, such as Taylor Swift, have managed to make their four-legged friends millionaires, thanks to wise financial investments.

The other most common animals: from the canary to the tarantula

In addition to the dog and the cat, the fish, which belongs to 14% of the sample interviewed. They follow turtlesto 12%, which are more common in the south and in the islands than in the north of Italy.

As for birds, 6% say they have a canary3% a parot and 2% another kind of bird. In general they are mainly cockatoos and other types of parrots, but also doves and finches.

Only 4% of Italians own a rabbit as a pet, and 3% a hamster. 1% of the population reports having another type of rodent, such as guinea pigs, chinchillas and mice.

Only 1% said they have an insect as their pet, including stick insects, crickets, but also tarantulas and large spiders fall into this category. Finally, some Italians have scorpions as pets, but there are also colonies of ants.

Among the reptiles (1% of the sample interviewed), the Italians prefer the gecko, the bearded dragon, the iguana, but also some types of snake, such as the milk snake, the molurian python, the boa constrictor and the corn snake. However, in these cases, it is always necessary to consult the list of animals prohibited in Italy, given that some species are not allowed in the area.