More people than ever own pets—63 percent of U.S. households, according to the 2005-2006 data from the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association (APPMA) pet owners survey. That’s nearly 70 million homes.

Dogs have once again captured the most pet-owning households (39 percent), but cats are clawing at their heels (34 percent). Freshwater fish are doing swimmingly as well (owned by 13 percent).

Based on sheer numbers, cats are the most popular animal; 90.5 million of them reside in U.S. households. By comparison, 73.9 million dogs are kept as pets in the U.S. Reptile ownership has increased by 22 percent, from 9 million in 2002 to 11 million in 2004.

The majority of dog owners said they had obtained their dog from a breeder (31 percent) or a friend or relative (32 percent). Cat owners had also gotten their kitties from friends or family (43 percent), though many said their cats had turned up in their lives as strays (34 percent).

Shelters and humane societies were the third most popular source for companion animals: 16 percent of dog owners and 15 percent of cat owners got their animals from shelters. But that 16 percent is a sad decrease from the 20 percent reported in the 2000–2001 survey results.

For the first time, the survey included questions about ownership of equines. Four percent of pet-owning households said they had equines, a combined total for those who kept them on their own property and those who boarded them elsewhere.