When I lived with a family in Tres Cantos (suburb of Madrid) in 1991, they had two family cats.

Are cats popular in Spain as pets or do Spaniards prefer dogs or other animals.

I talked with Raul, my Spaniard son-in-law, and Joni, my daugher on this topic. They and their children are on holidays with my wife and me in New York. Raul's parents in Zaragoza had a cat named Rocky for 20 years. My wife and I visited Raul's parent's condo a number of times and we saw Rocky a home cat. He stayed in their condo all the time. They have a terrace that Rocky would sleep on and got sun.

When I asked Raul which animal do Spaniards prefer as pets, he replied the same as here (meaning the USA), dogs. The reasons are universal, i.e. most dogs are friendly, happy to see their master, and good crime prevention deterrent. Criminals will usually not break into an home when a dog is barking. Spaniards like to walk and a dog is a good companion.
Cats are generally not friendly and are very independent.

Joni, my daugher, who has lived in Spain for the last 13 years agreed that Spaniards prefer small dogs as pets.

Here is a good reason why people in general prefer a dog over a cat. When my family had a dog, I would come home from work at 2:00 am, the dog (Jackie) would come running to the door and was very excited to see me. I would spend 5 minutes petting Jackie before she would go back to sleep. When we had a cat (Stanley) he never came to greet me. Jackie slept in her bed but Stanley slept any where he wanted. I had to use a flash light to avoid stepping on him. The disadvantage of a dog in the USA is picking-up dog feces. Some time in the near future Spaniards will begin to pick-up their dog feces. Home cats use a litter box and usually don't go outside except in the country.

Saludos

Ok I´m going to defend the cats ! They are very independent which is why , as a single person like me , you can just put them in the garden ( if you have one ).. go to work , or go out with friends and the cat will be quite happy .
When I worked in London I used to return home to my county of Essex at about6:30pm . As soon as I put my foot on the steps upto the house my cat , Wellington , would start meowing at my back door . I´d go inside , open the back door and he would not leave my side all night . So cats ARE friendly .

Ok I went to lunch with friends yesterday neat the Plaza Santa Ana and my Irish friend ( She´s lived in Spain for over 9 years ) joined us for a drink later on joined by her new puppy , Bosco . He´s a yorkshire terrier and I totally fell in love with him . The cutest little thing i´ve seen in years .. and he seemed to like me .
By the way , he lives in a 2nd floor apartment in central Madrid .

Steve you are correct. My cat Stanley was lazy. During the day and when he was awake Stanley was friendly to me and my family but he didn't want to be bother a 2:00 am (don't blame him). Stanley loved attention. Cats are independent. Some people who have cats leave out food for them and the litter box and go to work for 10 hours. I have a neighbor who goes to homes to let walk a dog and feed the dog when they go to work. I gather in Madrid people who have dogs take them outside for a walk whereas cats usually stay in the flat.

Saludos Steve

Steve, are dogs in Madrid allowed to go into restaurants and cafes? If you wanted to take Bosco to the James Joyce Irish restaurant/pub and give him a bowl of Guinness would Matt be permitted to do so according to the laws of the Madrid government.

Gracias

Great question Jim - I'm also interested in the answer about taking pets into bars/cafes/restaurants.

FYI Steve, tell your friend with the new puppy, if she has a lanai (balconey) she can train him to use that when she isn't there to walk him. And a dog that small can be trained to use a cat box. At least, that's what I've been told - all my dogs have been way too big to even think of that.

Puna .. My friend already trained her dog to use a litter box .. so that´s fine now .
I´ve been into many bars and restaurants and seen dogs there .. some bars will have a sign saying " Perros No " but I get the impression the decision is made by the bar .
Food shops such as jamonerías or supermarkets will NOT allow dogs in .
I personally don´t mind seeing dogs in bars or even restaurants .. as long as they don´t have access to the kitchens . In rural parts of England such as where my mum lives , dogs in bars are normal . Often than not it´ll belong to the bar or pub owners .
I love sitting down in a pub , for a good roast dinner , a few drinks in front of an open fire and having the dog roaming around and being friendly .
Reminds me of a photo I took many years ago in an English city called Norwich ... There was a big sign outside a shop saying " no dogs allowed" we had my friend Karen pose infront of it jejejeje .. "sorry Karen , you´re not allowed in " ...hehehehehe

Thanks for the posting Steve. I have seen dogs in numerous bars and cafes through-out Spain ... but rarely in Madrid. I still figure some day I WILL be able to live in Spain (fingers crossed) and can't really imagine not having a dog.

Good for your friend! Forward thinking makes life soooo much easier

Hi Admiral 44,

Please share the results of your question, "are cats popular as pets in Spain or do Spaniards have a preference for dogs or birds or other pets". Thank you