[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"detail-sidebar-cat-0-en-105":3,"doc-seo-515943-105":59,"doc-detail-515943-en":130},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"success",[7,13,18,23,28,33,38,43,48,51,55],{"id":8,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":10,"show_sort_weight":11,"slug":12},1,"Document","Story & Novel",90,"story-novel",{"id":14,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":15,"show_sort_weight":16,"slug":17},2,"Literature",80,"literature",{"id":19,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":20,"show_sort_weight":21,"slug":22},4,"Exam",70,"exam",{"id":24,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":25,"show_sort_weight":26,"slug":27},5,"Comic",60,"comic",{"id":29,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":30,"show_sort_weight":31,"slug":32},6,"Technology",50,"technology",{"id":34,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":35,"show_sort_weight":36,"slug":37},7,"Healthcare",40,"healthcare",{"id":39,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":40,"show_sort_weight":41,"slug":42},8,"Research & Report",30,"research-report",{"id":44,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":45,"show_sort_weight":46,"slug":47},9,"Religion & Spirituality",20,"religion-spirituality",{"id":46,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":49,"show_sort_weight":46,"slug":50},"World Cup","world-cup",{"id":52,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":53,"show_sort_weight":52,"slug":54},10,"Lifestyle","lifestyle",{"id":56,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":57,"show_sort_weight":24,"slug":58},19,"General","general",{"code":4,"msg":60,"data":61},"ok",{"site_id":62,"language":63,"slug":64,"title":65,"keywords":66,"description":67,"schema_data":68,"social_meta":123,"head_meta":125,"extra_data":127,"updated_unix":129},105,"en","guardian-weekly-the-kitten-index-read-and-explore","Guardian Weekly - The kitten index - Read and explore","","Guardian Weekly issue content includes lifestyle and commentary pieces alongside puzzles and subscriptions. The featured columns cover animal ownership trends comparing cat and dog populations, costs, and cultural factors influencing adoption and spending. Another essay discusses food stockpiling and the recurring psychological appeal of preparing for crises, tying it to economic shocks and public resilience narratives. The page also lists crosswords and word games, plus subscription pricing and access details.",{"@graph":69,"@context":122},[70,84,105],{"@type":71,"itemListElement":72},"BreadcrumbList",[73,77,79,82],{"item":74,"name":75,"@type":76,"position":8},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":78,"name":9,"@type":76,"position":14},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/",{"item":80,"name":53,"@type":76,"position":81},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/lifestyle/",3,{"item":83,"name":65,"@type":76,"position":19},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/guardian-weekly-the-kitten-index-read-and-explore/515943/",{"url":83,"name":65,"@type":85,"image":86,"author":91,"headline":65,"publisher":94,"fileFormat":97,"inLanguage":63,"description":67,"dateModified":98,"datePublished":99,"encodingFormat":97,"isAccessibleForFree":100,"interactionStatistic":101},"DigitalDocument",{"url":87,"@type":88,"width":89,"height":90},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/guardian-weekly-the-kitten-index-read-and-explore/515943.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":92,"@type":93},"Stanford","Person",{"url":74,"name":95,"@type":96},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-10-12","2026-10-06",true,{"@type":102,"interactionType":103,"userInteractionCount":81},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":104},"ViewAction",{"@type":106,"mainEntity":107},"FAQPage",[108,114,118],{"name":109,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":111},"What does the kitten index compare between cats and dogs?","Question",{"text":112,"@type":113},"It compares cat and dog ownership numbers, showing dogs slightly ahead in the UK and kittens overtaking puppies in the US for the first time. It also connects the trend to how pets fit into changing household budgets and lifestyles.","Answer",{"name":115,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":116},"Why does the article say stockpiling is often treated like a metaphor?",{"text":117,"@type":113},"It argues that stockpiling feels like a safeguard against future problems, but metaphors cannot be eaten. The text links the recurring impulse to repeated real-world disruptions to food supplies.",{"name":119,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":120},"What economic factors are referenced in relation to pet ownership and spending?",{"text":121,"@type":113},"The content ties dog-and-cat trends to economic conditions such as real-estate costs, mortgage rates, stagnant wages, and the idea that household budgeting influences what people choose to own.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":83,"og:type":124,"og:title":65,"og:site_name":95,"og:description":67},"article",{"robots":126,"canonical":83},"index,follow",{"doc_id":128,"site_id":62},515943,1791680776,{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":131},{"doc_id":128,"user_id":132,"nickname":92,"user_avatar":133,"doc_module":4,"category_id":52,"category_name":53,"doc_title":65,"doc_description":67,"doc_content":134,"file_id":135,"file_url":136,"file_type":137,"file_size":138,"view_count":81,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":8,"is_downloadable":8,"audit_status":8,"page_count":139,"language":140,"language_code":63,"site_id":62,"html_lang":63,"table_of_contents":141,"faqs":142,"seo_title":143,"seo_description":67,"update_tm":144,"read_time":145},2336477552062,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_994ba38a5ba835b3df7d355c54d3ed8d","Zoe Williamspage3  \nJaclyn SmithMy life as aCharlie's Angelpage4  \n么Green monsterCatalan queenCan Copoasil?Rosalia,popsvisionarystarAweekintbe lifeofthe woed GbbalefitionGuardiGuardianWeekl;lran Inside the  \nWeeklyFeastToday's puzzlesManidanibroke themould ofUspoliticsSudoku(easy)WordwheelEpstein's world andthWordiplyOn the ballSave 25%inyear oneVisit theguardian.com/PackagePrice per issuePrice per yearguardianweeklyFull price subscriptionf4.47orscantheQR codeDiscoverourbeautifullydesignedglobalprint magazine,25%saving in your first yearE171.00  \nshowcasingthebest ofourreporting.Subscribetoday  \nfromjust£3.35perissueinthefirstyearandenjoyunlimited  \naccesstotheGuardian,FeastandEditions apps,as well  \nasad-free readingonallyourdevices.  \nGuardianWeekly  \n\n| PASS NOTES  \u003Cbr>N95,056   |  | 3   |  |  |  |\n| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |\n|  |  | Zoe Williams   |  |  |  |\n| The kitten index  \u003Cbr>Age:Debate has probably raged since  \u003Cbr>animals have been domesticated.  \u003Cbr>The debate being?Dogs v cats.Not  \u003Cbr>in a fight,but which to get as apet.  \u003Cbr>That depends on whether you  \u003Cbr>want a loving friend that gives you  \u003Cbr>unconditional Love ...Or anon-needy  \u003Cbr>but still loving animal that doesn't  \u003Cbr>require constant walking...But we're  \u003Cbr>no having that argument here.  \u003Cbr>What are we doing?Looking at some  \u003Cbr>interesting new statistics about cat  \u003Cbr>and dog ownership.  \u003Cbr>I already know this-dogs win,every  \u003Cbr>year.True;in the 2026 UK Pet Food  \u003Cbr>survey,the dog population(15.5m)is  \u003Cbr>slightly ahead of the cats(13m).  \u003Cbr>Two and a half million ahead!But  \u003Cbr>crossing the Atlantic now…  \u003Cbr>Still more dogs,surely?Granted,  \u003Cbr>there are more dogs,but maybe not  \u003Cbr>for long.The market research frm  \u003Cbr>Packaged Facts reports that,for the  \u003Cbr>frst time,more US households own  \u003Cbr>kittens than puppies.  \u003Cbr>But that's just kittens and puppies.  \u003Cbr>Guess what they grow up to be?  \u003Cbr>Hmm.Have Garfeld,Looney Tunes'  \u003Cbr>Sylvester and Alien's Jonesy become  \u003Cbr>the hot new pet icons of flm and TV?  \u003Cbr>It's less about boom time for cats,  \u003Cbr>more about dog ownership in decline.  \u003Cbr>Because?Maybe because kittens are  \u003Cbr>a bit like lipstick.  \u003Cbr>Excuse me?The lipstick index was a  \u003Cbr>phrase coined in the 00s,referring  \u003Cbr>to the idea that consumers buy less  \u003Cbr>expensive luxury goods in times of  \u003Cbr>economic hardship,such as lipstick  \u003Cbr>instead of,say,an expensive purse.  \u003Cbr>But the president says the  \u003Cbr>economy's going great.He also  \u003Cbr>said people were eating cats and  \u003Cbr>dogs.Truth is,the property market  \u003Cbr>s sluggish,because of realestate  \u003Cbr>prices,high mortgage rates and  \u003Cbr>stagnant wages.  \u003Cbr>What's that got to do with cats  \u003Cbr>and dogs?Packaged Facts says  \u003Cbr>homeowners are nearly twice as  \u003Cbr>likely as renters to have a dog.  \u003Cbr>Bottom line,it's all about the  \u003Cbr>budget?It calculates the average  \u003Cbr>dog costs its owner $1,300(E985)  \u003Cbr>a year.For an average cat:$750  \u003Cbr>(E570).But the chief executive of  \u003Cbr>Packaged Facts,Robert Granader,is  \u003Cbr>keen to point out it's not about cats  \u003Cbr>replacing dogs.\"It's about America  \u003Cbr>becoming more like cats:living in  \u003Cbr>smaller spaces,valuing independence  \u003Cbr>and preferring to be left alone.\"  \u003Cbr>And where the US goes,the rest  \u003Cbr>of us follow?While ratios differ  \u003Cbr>throughout Europe,the UK Pet Food  \u003Cbr>survey points to slightly more dogs  \u003Cbr>than cats compared with the last  \u003Cbr>time they published it,two years ago.  \u003Cbr>Woof!But the UK is facing the same  \u003Cbr>economic global headwinds as the  \u003Cbr>U5,so watch this space.  \u003Cbr>Do say:\"Just a goldfish,please,until  \u003Cbr>I'm on the property ladder.\"  \u003Cbr>Don't say:\"Whichever,cat or dog,it's  \u003Cbr>just for Christmas,righ?\"   |  | Preppers us  \u003Cbr>ridiculed,b  \u003Cbr>allstockpili  \u003Cbr>here is no national  \u003Cbr>food stockpile and  \u003Cbr>there hasn't been  \u003Cbr>since it was wound  \u003Cbr>upin the 1990s.It  \u003Cbr>feels like ametaphor  \u003Cbr>for the delusions ofthat era:  \u003Cbr>nothing bad can possibly","cbCaii2eFQCyWmDO","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaii2eFQCyWmDO","pdf",10490256,12,"English","# The kitten index\n## Dog vs cat ownership statistics\n## Costs and cultural factors\n# Preppers ridiculed, but stockpiling returns\n## Historical episodes and metaphors\n## Why three-day stashes keep resurfacing","[{\"question\":\"What does the kitten index compare between cats and dogs?\",\"answer\":\"It compares cat and dog ownership numbers, showing dogs slightly ahead in the UK and kittens overtaking puppies in the US for the first time. It also connects the trend to how pets fit into changing household budgets and lifestyles.\"},{\"question\":\"Why does the article say stockpiling is often treated like a metaphor?\",\"answer\":\"It argues that stockpiling feels like a safeguard against future problems, but metaphors cannot be eaten. The text links the recurring impulse to repeated real-world disruptions to food supplies.\"},{\"question\":\"What economic factors are referenced in relation to pet ownership and spending?\",\"answer\":\"The content ties dog-and-cat trends to economic conditions such as real-estate costs, mortgage rates, stagnant wages, and the idea that household budgeting influences what people choose to own.\"}]","Guardian Weekly - The kitten index - Read and explore | PDF",1791323779,18]