世論 What Japan Thinks

[Part 1][Part 2]

How do you know if your cat loves his litter tray? To try to find out in a less direct fashion than illustrated by the photograph, an unnamed market research firm on behalf of Kao’s cat goods division looked into cat toiletism. Yes, they did stick an -ism on the end!

Demographics

No details were given, bar that 3,025 people owned by cats completed a survey. They do mention, however, that there are over 7 million households with cats, and in the last five years the percentage of single human households with a cat has doubled to the current figure of 14.4% of the total, or just over a million singles with a cat.

My main reason for liking cats is that they are not clingy. I can’t stand dogs, with one of the reasons being their over-friendliness. Being able to keep themselves entertained when left on their own is a big plus too, of course. Back in Scotland I liked the pine chip poo sand and never understood why anyone would buy the Fuller’s Earth clay stuff!

Photograph by lynx81.

Research results

Q1: Is your cat an indoor or outdoor cat? (Sample size=3,025)

100% indoor cat	85.9%
Comes and goes as he pleases	14.1%

Q2: Why did you choose to have a cat? (Sample size=3,025, multiple answer)

Like cats	77.4%
Behaviour is cute	54.1%
Just found him by chance	33.5%
Don’t need to take for walkies	31.0%
Cat purr is healing	28.1%
Cats live at their own pace	23.5%
Figure is elegant	18.8%
Love the sound of their meowing	17.6%
Can leave them alone in the house	15.8%
Easy to house-train	10.8%
Character is not clingy	9.9%
Easy to keep in an apartment	9.5%
Easy to look after	7.6%

Q3: How long on average do you leave your cat home alone on weekdays? (Sample size=3,025)

More than 10 hours	12.5%
7 to 9 hours	30.1%
4 to 6 hours	23.7%
2 to 3 hours	14.3%
One hour or less	3.6%
Almost always together	14.3%
Other	1.5%

Q4: How many cats do you have? (Sample size=3,025)

One	58.2%
Two	24.2%
Three	7.1%
Four or more	10.5%

Q5: What do you wish you didn’t have to do, or cats didn’t do? (Sample size=3,025, multiple answer)

Cleaning up hair	50.4%
Scratching furniture	41.9%
Cleaning litter tray	37.3%
Noisy at nighttime	16.3%
Nothing in particular	11.6%

Q6: Are you dissatisfied with your current cat litter tray? (Sample size=3,025)

Dissatisfied (to SQ)	90.7%
Not dissatisfied	9.3%

Q6SQ: What are you dissatisfied about? (Sample size=dissatisified owners, multiple answer)

Sand flying around the room	65.5%
Little odour reduction effect	41.0%
Sand sticks to cat’s paws	37.8%
Changing sand is laborious	30.7%
Tidying up after pee	25.4%
Buying sand is inconvenient due to weight, bulk	24.5%
Throwing away sand is laborious	21.2%
Other	10.1%

Q7: What kind of cat litter sand do you use? (Sample size=3,025)

Fuller’s earth clay type	26.2%
Paper type	19.9%
System toilet	19.2%
Wood chip based	18.8%
Silica gel type	5.2%
Sheet type	1.7%
Other	8.1%
Don’t use cat sand	0.9%

[Part 1][Part 2]

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