TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – While Taiwan still counts more dogs, the number of cats kept as pets rose by 50% over the past two years, the Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) said Friday (May 31).

According to a survey for 2023, Taiwan counted 1.48 million dogs and 1.31 million cats, per Radio Taiwan International (RTI). Compared to the previous tally in 2021, the number of dogs had increased by 240,000 or 19% from 1.23 million.

However, the number of cats showed a much faster increase, with 440,000 extra felines added to the 870,000 registered in 2021. The MOA said the changes corresponded to trends overseas.

The survey also showed a diversification of pet ownership, with 9.3% of households raising an animal other than a cat or dog. Dogs were still the preferred pet of 13.8% of households, an increase of 1.3% from the previous survey, and cats of 10.4%, a rise of 3.8%. 

Overall, the number of households in Taiwan sharing their home with a pet had surged by 6.7% to 28.3%, the MOA said.

Almost 70% of the dogs had been neutered or spayed, while the proportion for the cats was higher at more than 80%. While dogs had to be implanted with a chip, the compulsory registration of pets might be expanded to cover cats considering their rising numbers, according to the MOA.