A dog or a cat can easily become one of the greatest roommates you’ll ever have. They always welcome you with a warm greeting when you arrive home, they never judge you for your actions, and they’re always willing to relax with you on the sofa while binge-watching Netflix. That’s why, when it comes time to make interior decor choices, the humans living in the home aren’t the only ones to be considered. These furry family members will also be enjoying any new sofa, bed, or rug that you purchase.

At Joybird, we know the importance of making sure that furniture is pet-friendly, but what we didn’t know was exactly how pet-owners interact with their dogs and cats in the home. That’s why we conducted a survey on American pet owners to uncover their habits. You can see the fascinating results below.





First, we realized that women were actually slightly more likely than men to own a pet in the first place. 51% of the men surveyed reported that they did not own any pets compared to only 42% of women. But, gender wasn’t the only factor that played a role in pet ownership; geographical location also played a part. Those living in the West were slightly more likely to own a dog than the rest of the country but noticeably less likely to own a cat.

Knowing how much pet owners love their dogs, cats, and other little friends, we were interested to see exactly how much they spoil their pets each month. Turns out, men are 1.5 times more likely than women to spend over $100 per month on their pet.

While 18% of respondents claimed to spend over $100 a month, those in the age group of 18-24 and 55-64 were much more likely than any other group to spend between $21 and $50 each month on their pets.

Men might be more willing to drop extra cash on their pets each month, but women seem to give them more freedom within the house. Of those who responded that they give their pet free roaming privileges throughout the house, 59% were female.

But, overall, most owners allow their pet to go anywhere in the home (a whopping 77%). While only 7% keep their dog or cat outside.

Females seem to have a soft-spot for their animal friends, as 66% of the women surveyed said they allow their pets on the furniture. Who can blame them? It can be quite difficult to turn down those sweet puppy eyes (no matter what damage they’ve done in the past). Interestingly, those who have had more than one piece of furniture destroyed in the past by a pet were more likely to allow pets on the furniture in comparison to those who’ve had none destroyed or just one piece destroyed.

Knowing that pet owners are very likely to allow their pets on the furniture, we assumed that pet-friendly fabric on furniture would be a high-priority. While 42% agreed with us, we were shocked to learn that 10% didn’t even know what pet-friendly fabric was.







At the end of the day, it all comes down to the love we feel for our pets. That is why the majority of respondents allow their pets to sleep in bed with them. However, women once again seemed to have the most sympathy for their pets. 9% of men reported that their pet sleeps outside, compared to only 4% of women.

But, sleeping arrangements don’t just depend on gender. A few other factors came into play as well, such as how many pets a person owned or what age group they fell into. Interestingly, those with four pets overwhelmingly tend to let them sleep in their bed with them. The more, the merrier! All age groups favored allowing their pet to sleep in bed with them except for ages 25-34, which favored the pets sleeping on their own bed.

Are you a pet owner yourself? Do your habits align with those in the survey? Tell us about it in the comments below.