Cats are enormously popular as pets and it’s not difficult to see why. They don’t need much training; they don’t need to be walked; they don’t eat a whole lot; they’re clean. Most important of all, while they like to do their own thing, they’re good companions.
In fact, watching them doing their own thing is entertaining. That may explain the popularity of the musical “Cats,” not to mention the countless cat memes all over the internet. They also have comparatively long lifespans, and can live up to the age of 20 or beyond. Compare them to the 50 longest-living animals in the world.
Tens of millions of American households have feline residents, although the numbers vary considerably from place to place. To compile a list of the states with the most cats, 24/7 Tempo reviewed data from the Pet Ownership and Demographics Sourcebook, published in 2020 by the American Veterinary Medical Association for companion animal veterinarians and the animal health industry.
Collected in 2017-2018, the data is the most recent available, reflecting the total number of households and the number and percentage of cat-owning households in the 48 contiguous states as of December 31, 2016.
Click here to see the states with the most cats
Cats seem to be particularly popular in the Northeast. The states with the most cats include Vermont, Maine, and New Hampshire — though another New England state, Rhode Island, is at the bottom when it comes to cats. Like cats themselves, the statistics seem to have a mind of their own. Take a look at the official pets and animals of every state.
Source: abzerit / iStock via Getty Images
48. Rhode Island
> Households with at least one cat: 16.7%
> Number of cat-owning households: 75,000 — 2nd fewest
> Number of human households: 450,000 — 7th fewest
> Cat population: 151,000 — 5th smallest
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47. Maryland
> Households with at least one cat: 18.6%
> Number of cat-owning households: 421,000 — 21st fewest
> Number of human households: 2,261,000 — 20th most
> Cat population: 703,000 — 19th smallest
46. New Jersey
> Households with at least one cat: 18.9%
> Number of cat-owning households: 647,000 — 18th most
> Number of human households: 3,414,000 — 11th most
> Cat population: 1,009,000 — 18th largest
45. Louisiana
> Households with at least one cat: 19.0%
> Number of cat-owning households: 352,000 — 17th fewest
> Number of human households: 1,847,000 — 23rd fewest
> Cat population: 590,000 — 15th smallest
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Source: Marina Potapova / iStock via Getty Images
44. Georgia
> Households with at least one cat: 20.4%
> Number of cat-owning households: 814,000 — 13th most
> Number of human households: 3,999,000 — 10th most
> Cat population: 1,710,000 — 8th largest
Source: 100108154@N02 / Flickr
43. Texas
> Households with at least one cat: 20.5%
> Number of cat-owning households: 2,071,000 — 2nd most
> Number of human households: 10,105,000 — 2nd most
> Cat population: 4,066,000 — 2nd largest
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42. Illinois
> Households with at least one cat: 21.0%
> Number of cat-owning households: 1,081,000 — 8th most
> Number of human households: 5,138,000 — 5th most
> Cat population: 1,666,000 — 9th largest
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41. New York
> Households with at least one cat: 21.1%
> Number of cat-owning households: 1,658,000 — 4th most
> Number of human households: 7,849,000 — 4th most
> Cat population: 2,841,000 — 5th largest
40. Montana
> Households with at least one cat: 22.8%
> Number of cat-owning households: 99,000 — 6th fewest
> Number of human households: 435,000 — 6th fewest
> Cat population: 112,000 — 2nd smallest
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39. California
> Households with at least one cat: 22.9%
> Number of cat-owning households: 3,190,000 — the most
> Number of human households: 13,911,000 — the most
> Cat population: 5,571,000 — the largest
38. Nevada
> Households with at least one cat: 23.1%
> Number of cat-owning households: 259,000 — 13th fewest
> Number of human households: 1,122,000 — 15th fewest
> Cat population: 428,000 — 12th smallest
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Source: DenisTangneyJr / iStock via Getty Images
37. Massachusetts
> Households with at least one cat: 23.5%
> Number of cat-owning households: 638,000 — 19th most
> Number of human households: 2,714,000 — 15th most
> Cat population: 1,012,000 — 17th largest
36. Virginia
> Households with at least one cat: 23.9%
> Number of cat-owning households: 790,000 — 14th most
> Number of human households: 3,306,000 — 12th most
> Cat population: 1,491,000 — 12th largest
35. Delaware
> Households with at least one cat: 24.1%
> Number of cat-owning households: 96,000 — 5th fewest
> Number of human households: 399,000 — 5th fewest
> Cat population: 169,000 — 6th smallest
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Source: Maksymowicz / Getty Images
34. Florida
> Households with at least one cat: 24.2%
> Number of cat-owning households: 2,002,000 — 3rd most
> Number of human households: 8,260,000 — 3rd most
> Cat population: 3,584,000 — 3rd largest
33. Utah
> Households with at least one cat: 24.7%
> Number of cat-owning households: 251,000 — 12th fewest
> Number of human households: 1,014,000 — 14th fewest
> Cat population: 365,000 — 11th smallest
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32. North Dakota
> Households with at least one cat: 24.8%
> Number of cat-owning households: 81,000 — 3rd fewest
> Number of human households: 328,000 — 3rd fewest
> Cat population: 230,000 — 9th smallest
Source: Penny Britt / iStock via Getty Images
31. South Carolina
> Households with at least one cat: 25.2%
> Number of cat-owning households: 504,000 — 24th most
> Number of human households: 2,002,000 — 23rd most
> Cat population: 809,000 — 24th largest
30. New Mexico
> Households with at least one cat: 25.2%
> Number of cat-owning households: 200,000 — 9th fewest
> Number of human households: 796,000 — 13th fewest
> Cat population: 193,000 — 8th smallest
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Source: Vital Hil / iStock via Getty Images
29. Alabama
> Households with at least one cat: 26.1%
> Number of cat-owning households: 518,000 — 23rd most
> Number of human households: 1,984,000 — 24th most
> Cat population: 859,000 — 22nd largest
Source: Photo_Russia / iStock via Getty Images
28. Arizona
> Households with at least one cat: 26.4%
> Number of cat-owning households: 692,000 — 16th most
> Number of human households: 2,624,000 — 17th most
> Cat population: 907,000 — 20th largest
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27. Minnesota
> Households with at least one cat: 26.5%
> Number of cat-owning households: 563,000 — 22nd most
> Number of human households: 2,234,000 — 21st most
> Cat population: 1,108,000 — 15th largest
Source: north-carolina-state-archives / Flickr
26. North Carolina
> Households with at least one cat: 26.5%
> Number of cat-owning households: 1,064,000 — 9th most
> Number of human households: 4,022,000 — 9th most
> Cat population: 1,916,000 — 6th largest
Source: Kelli Williams / iStock via Getty Images
25. South Dakota
> Households with at least one cat: 26.6%
> Number of cat-owning households: 95,000 — 4th fewest
> Number of human households: 356,000 — 4th fewest
> Cat population: 133,000 — 3rd smallest
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Source: Jmicheleing / iStock via Getty Images
24. Connecticut
> Households with at least one cat: 26.7%
> Number of cat-owning households: 382,000 — 19th fewest
> Number of human households: 1,430,000 — 20th fewest
> Cat population: 739,000 — 20th smallest
Source: eyecrave / E+ via Getty Images
23. Colorado
> Households with at least one cat: 27.1%
> Number of cat-owning households: 602,000 — 21st most
> Number of human households: 2,221,000 — 22nd most
> Cat population: 671,000 — 18th smallest
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Source: Bilanol / iStock via Getty Images
22. Oklahoma
> Households with at least one cat: 28.4%
> Number of cat-owning households: 450,000 — 22nd fewest
> Number of human households: 1,587,000 — 21st fewest
> Cat population: 795,000 — 23rd smallest
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21. Missouri
> Households with at least one cat: 28.6%
> Number of cat-owning households: 692,000 — 16th most
> Number of human households: 2,417,000 — 18th most
> Cat population: 1,319,000 — 13th largest
Source: sdominick / E+ via Getty Images
20. Pennsylvania
> Households with at least one cat: 28.9%
> Number of cat-owning households: 1,476,000 — 5th most
> Number of human households: 5,116,000 — 6th most
> Cat population: 3,084,000 — 4th largest
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19. Mississippi
> Households with at least one cat: 29.1%
> Number of cat-owning households: 336,000 — 16th fewest
> Number of human households: 1,153,000 — 17th fewest
> Cat population: 661,000 — 17th smallest
18. Wyoming
> Households with at least one cat: 30.0%
> Number of cat-owning households: 72,000 — the fewest
> Number of human households: 240,000 — the fewest
> Cat population: 65,000 — the smallest
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Source: joshuaraineyphotography / iStock via Getty Images
17. Oregon
> Households with at least one cat: 30.0%
> Number of cat-owning households: 481,000 — 24th fewest
> Number of human households: 1,606,000 — 22nd fewest
> Cat population: 790,000 — 22nd smallest
16. Washington
> Households with at least one cat: 30.5%
> Number of cat-owning households: 867,000 — 11th most
> Number of human households: 2,844,000 — 13th most
> Cat population: 1,527,000 — 11th largest
Source: MarieDolphin / iStock via Getty Images
15. Ohio
> Households with at least one cat: 30.7%
> Number of cat-owning households: 1,438,000 — 6th most
> Number of human households: 4,682,000 — 7th most
> Cat population: 1,590,000 — 10th largest
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Source: percds / iStock via Getty Images
14. Nebraska
> Households with at least one cat: 30.9%
> Number of cat-owning households: 227,000 — 11th fewest
> Number of human households: 736,000 — 11th fewest
> Cat population: 520,000 — 14th smallest
Source: lisazins / Flickr
13. Tennessee
> Households with at least one cat: 30.9%
> Number of cat-owning households: 845,000 — 12th most
> Number of human households: 2,736,000 — 14th most
> Cat population: 1,819,000 — 7th largest
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12. Michigan
> Households with at least one cat: 31.2%
> Number of cat-owning households: 1,271,000 — 7th most
> Number of human households: 4,071,000 — 8th most
> Cat population: 1,235,000 — 14th largest
11. Kentucky
> Households with at least one cat: 32.2%
> Number of cat-owning households: 604,000 — 20th most
> Number of human households: 1,874,000 — 24th fewest
> Cat population: 1,065,000 — 16th largest
10. Wisconsin
> Households with at least one cat: 32.4%
> Number of cat-owning households: 774,000 — 15th most
> Number of human households: 2,389,000 — 19th most
> Cat population: 801,000 — 24th smallest
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Source: herlein / iStock via Getty Images
9. Kansas
> Households with at least one cat: 32.4%
> Number of cat-owning households: 368,000 — 18th fewest
> Number of human households: 1,136,000 — 16th fewest
> Cat population: 785,000 — 21st smallest
Source: JoanBudai / iStock via Getty Images
8. Idaho
> Households with at least one cat: 33.3%
> Number of cat-owning households: 216,000 — 10th fewest
> Number of human households: 648,000 — 10th fewest
> Cat population: 173,000 — 7th smallest
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7. Arkansas
> Households with at least one cat: 34.8%
> Number of cat-owning households: 421,000 — 21st fewest
> Number of human households: 1,211,000 — 18th fewest
> Cat population: 876,000 — 21st largest
Source: DarcyMaulsby / iStock via Getty Images
6. Iowa
> Households with at least one cat: 35.6%
> Number of cat-owning households: 462,000 — 23rd fewest
> Number of human households: 1,298,000 — 19th fewest
> Cat population: 912,000 — 19th largest
5. New Hampshire
> Households with at least one cat: 36.4%
> Number of cat-owning households: 183,000 — 8th fewest
> Number of human households: 502,000 — 8th fewest
> Cat population: 266,000 — 10th smallest
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Source: cgbaldauf / iStock via Getty Images
4. Indiana
> Households with at least one cat: 37.5%
> Number of cat-owning households: 1,000,000 — 10th most
> Number of human households: 2,670,000 — 16th most
> Cat population: 856,000 — 23rd largest
Source: ConnieSunderland / iStock via Getty Images
3. West Virginia
> Households with at least one cat: 37.7%
> Number of cat-owning households: 284,000 — 15th fewest
> Number of human households: 755,000 — 12th fewest
> Cat population: 595,000 — 16th smallest
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Source: maramicado / iStock via Getty Images
2. Maine
> Households with at least one cat: 43.6%
> Number of cat-owning households: 264,000 — 14th fewest
> Number of human households: 606,000 — 9th fewest
> Cat population: 500,000 — 13th smallest
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1. Vermont
> Households with at least one cat: 44.6%
> Number of cat-owning households: 118,000 — 7th fewest
> Number of human households: 265,000 — 2nd fewest
> Cat population: 150,000 — 4th smallest
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