The World's Favorite Pets

Household pets are common in America, Europe, and Asia.

• In China and Hong Kong, cats are thought to bring good luck and are kept in shops as well as homes.
• The Japanese keep birds and crickets as pets.
• In Arab countries, dogs are considered unclean. Contact with a dog must be followed by a ritual washing.
• The Italians also have little use for dogs but find cats charming and companionable. Thousands of stray cats live in the Forum, the Colosseum, and other historic landmarks in Rome.
• The Inuit Eskimo of northern Canada adopt bear cubs, foxes, birds, and baby seals.
• Animals are rarely kept as pets in Africa.
• The British are especially fond of pets. Half of all the households in England have a pet, usually a cat or bird.

Fact Monster/Information Please® Database, © 2007 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

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