By MEGAN K. SCOTT, Associated Press Writer Megan K. Scott, Associated Press Writer – Tue Jun 23, 3:36 pm ET

NEW YORK – Susan Jacobs and her companion Kingston both like chicken and collards, chilling on the couch and riding in her convertible with the breeze tussling his curly black hair.

Kingston, it should be said, is a black poodle. But for Jacobs, 45, of Long Beach, Calif., he is like a child.

"The next time I travel, I'll probably take him with me," said Jacobs, a Mary Kay consultant and freelance writer. "I'm just used to him being around."

An Associated Press-Petside.com poll released Tuesday found that half of all American pet owners consider their pets as much a part of the family as any other person in the household; another 36 percent said their pet is part of the family but not a full member.

And that means pets often get the human touch: Most pet owners cop to feeding animals human food, nearly half give the animals human names and nearly a third let them sleep in a human bed. While just 19 percent had bought an outfit for a pet, 43 percent felt their pet had its own "sense of style."

Nathan Nommensen, 19, a college student who lives with his parents in Winthrop Harbor, Ill., said their golden retriever Molly sleeps in his parents' room, goes with them on camping trips and appears in their annual family Christmas photo.

He doesn't consider her a full member of the family, though. "She's part of the family but not a human part of the family," he said.

Singles were more likely to say a pet was a full member of the family than married people — 66 percent of single women versus 46 percent of married women, for example. And men were less likely to call their pet a full member of the household.

For some single women, pets become surrogate children, said Kristen Nelson, a veterinarian in Scottsdale, Ariz. She said men are also attached to pets — but are less likely to admit it because it's not seen as masculine.

Debbie Jablonski, 50, of Wilmington, N.C., talks about her cats like a mom talks about her children.

Milkshake, who sleeps at the foot of her bed, sticks his cold nose on her eyelid and touches his paw to her face at 4:30 a.m. to wake her up and feed him. The other cat, Licorice, sleeps on the couch and has a habit of sitting on her newspaper when she is trying to read it.

"If you try to budge her, she will not move," said Jablonski, laughing. "You will have to practically pick her up and move her."

Jablonski, who works for a laboratory equipment manufacturer, celebrates the cats' birthdays, includes photos of the cats in holiday cards and watches home movies of them playing.

Most pet owners don't go that far, according to the survey. Only a little over a quarter celebrate their pet's birthday or the day it came to live with them and just a third have included a pet's photo or name in a holiday card.

Still, 42 percent of pet owners have taken a pet on vacation, with dogs more likely to accompany the family than cats. Dog owners were also more likely to take their pets to work (21 percent) or somewhere the animal wasn't allowed (18 percent).

When it comes to feedings, nearly half of all dog owners and 40 percent of cat owners admit giving their pets human food at least sometimes.

Jimmy Ruth Martin, 73, who sells real estate in Louisville, Texas, said she gives her border collie Samantha table food: chicken, steak, potatoes, salad, ice cream. "She'll eat anything I'm eating," she said.

She said her dog has gotten so fat, she can't climb up on the bed. "The table scraps have done that."

Helen Reed, 60, of Clearfield, Pa., said her cat Sadie has personality — she is not a lap cat, sleeps at the foot of the bed and likes to be in the same room as her. But she doesn't dress her up.

Martin doesn't squeeze Samantha into cute outfits, either, though she said the dog does have her own sense of style. "She's still a dog and I know it," she said.

Bernice Miller, 71, of Springfield, Mo., said she likes to dress her Maltese up as a pumpkin on Thanksgiving and Santa on Christmas. She has a photo of she and the dog on her wall, signs his name "Tully" to cards and gives him treats on his birthday.

"He's the best little thing," said Miller, who is retired. "He just begs to go with me, so I don't leave him too much. He's just like a little kid."

The AP-Petside.com poll was conducted by GfK Roper Public Affairs & Media from May 28-June 1, 2009. It is based on landline and cellular telephone interviews with a random sample of 1,110 pet owners. The margin of error is plus or minus 2.9 percentage points.

our pets are part of our family. we took them in, gave them a home, they depend on us for food and care and we enjoy their companionship. i don't find anything at all unusual about that. i was raised to think of our pets as part of the family. in my opinion, if you think otherwise, you shouldn't have pets.

Anxiety said:

My cats are like my fur kids. I don't treat them like human kids, of course, but there is a definite bond between a person and their pet(s).

Our pets are most certainly a part of our family.
I couldn't imagine our lives without them.

My Thomasina is my baby. When I go on vacation, she is my last thought before I go to sleep and I wonder if she's thinking of me when I'm gone. And I have this horrible fear that I'll have children and they'll be allergic to her and I'll be forced to find another home for her. I guess it wouldn't be considered proper if I got rid of the kid instead. (Just kidding! )

my cat even had our lastname

treated like a human and given place at the dinner table, now that's effing crazy but she was most def. a part of the family.

JuliePurplehead said:

Dogs sent away because people decide to have kids is a huge pet peeve of mine. Happens way too often.

It seriously so absolutely breaks my heart.

Don't get preggers till she's gone.

My dog is my child. He eats, sleeps and is my comforter. I depend on him, sometimes I think too much. He is a handful....lots of $$ is spent on him each month, but again, he is well worth it. He even has pet insurance and gets his teeth cleaned twice a year. He is a spolied brat. Wont go around cigg smoke, he starts to choke. He loves the car, and likes to travel. If I leave overnight, he HAS to have a sitter. He lays on my clothes in the morning just to make sure I smell like him.

He waits for me and greets me when I get home with open paws and smiles.....

When I go to bed tonight, I will have to move Lola (that bitch )off my pillow and into the middle of our bed where she will spend the night wedged in between her two daddies...every night.
She's like a hotdog and we're the buns.

johnart said:

i got my kitty grady because my friend had twins and they were both deathly allergic to cats. it was understandable that she had to get rid of her cat, and i was glad to take him because she'd had him for so long, he just seemed like part of the family and it would have been unacceptable to see him go to a shelter.

if folks think castrating family members is cool

my baby hasn't got any balls any more

ZombieKitten said:

well, if you mean figuratively, it was a popular pastime in my house when i was growing up.

Anxiety said:

I know it should seem understandable...

Kids are overrated.

Anxiety said:

that's awful

johnart said:

the only thing that bothered me about it was my friend was planning on sending the cat straight to a shelter. it was only because she mentioned it that i interjected that i'd take the cat before i'd let him go to a shelter. that kinda bugged me. but it all worked out well in the end, and now i have a cranky, pukey, diabetic bundle of love to call my own.

Anxiety said:

we had to get rid of our cat when my first kid was born, this cat was very rough in her affection (she was very possessive of me and when I breastfed my baby she would also try and fit onto my lap and try to push him off using her claws). She'd previously been mainly an indoor cat and was pretty much spending all her days at the backdoor looking in. So I found her a nice old lady who couldn't walk and always had an available lap and both are now happy - I still get postcards now and then from my ex-cat Maja.

Anxiety said:

I know it's probably not rational on my part. And I should probably try to be
a bit more understanding of the situation. I can when it's health related or if aggression is an issue.

I absolutely DETEST (yes in caps) it when folk have a dog for years and years and get rid of it because "it might knock the baby down" or some shit like that. Watch your kid!

People can come up with lame excuses to get rid of a pet.
We got Lola because "she stole food". Yet her ribs were showing when we adopted her.

ZombieKitten said:

all's well that ends well.

I am amazed at how many ppl have asked us if we are getting rid of our dog before the baby gets here.

I am shocked at how ppl see animals as something disposable that you throw away when something else comes along.
I certainly hope our pup adjusts to his new brother. We will do all we can to make a happy & healthy transition.
He is a part of our family.




Maybe me wearing this has not helped....


[Edited 6/23/09 23:53pm]

My Malt Bailey is my baby. He is SO smart to. He does sleep in my bed,has a basket of toys,and yes I am one of those that celebrates his birthday but I haven't figured out if it's really for him or an excuse for me to have cake.

johnart said:

Completely.

Love my animals. I miss my Marley poo e'ryday.

Man I remember my first pet I ever bonded with! I had that Dog from when I was 7 all the way till I was 21. I remember having to write an essay about my dog to get all the emotions outs cause I felt sick like I broke up with a girl when that dog died!

you gotta train pets

but most people don't

i love this rabbit story http://news.yahoo.com/s/a...ng_bunnies

My kitties are my family , I prefer them to real people

Of course pets are family .

Pets are way cuter than people, and much more reliable.

MrsMdiver said:

SCNDLS said:

johnart said:

He is a bad Dingo but we love him.

It is important to me that children grow up around animals, learn to respect them and know how to act around them without being fearful.