Dog owners pay more to insure their pets in the U.S. than cat owners.
Accident and illness coverage for dogs cost pet owners about $676 per year on average, while the same coverage for cats cost about $383 per year, according to the North American Pet Health Insurance Association. The yearly totals equal roughly $56 a month for a dog and $32 a month for a cat.
At the same time, accident-only policies are much cheaper at $204 per year for dogs and $116 per year for cats. The yearly totals equal roughly $17 for a dog and $10 for a cat. Accident-only plans won’t pay for conditions like cancer, allergies or urinary tract infections.
"Households with dogs now account for nearly half (45.5%) of all U.S. households compared with the low of 31.6% in 1996," says the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA). "Cat-owning households, on the other hand, comprised nearly a third (32.1%) of all households in 2024 versus 27.3% in 1996. For both dog and cat owners, an overwhelming majority (88.8% and 84.7%, respectively) view their pet as a member of the family."
The average amounts spent on pets in a typical year.
- Overall, pet owners spent $1,515 in 2023 and $1,516 in 2024.
- Dog owners spent $1,852 in 2023 and $1,740 in 2024.
- Cat owners spent $1,235 in 2023 and $1,311 in 2024.
- On other pets, owners spent $1,459 in 2023 and $1,497 in 2024.
Meanwhile, more than 77.1% of cat owners identified as having a regular veterinarian or veterinary practice in 2024, with 57.3% reporting visiting the veterinarian in 2024.
The slideshow above illustrates the top pet insurers of 2025 as selected by Nerd Wallet.
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