Cats are now reigning over dogs as America’s No. 1 pet. If you don’t believe that, just ask the Fowlers — they have 11

Pie, the playground bully, purposefully patrols his domain. The burly brown-spotted tom waves a tail at Won Ton in his red wagon, strolls past Cleo’s tube and glares at Lydia perched near the ceiling. Although they live in close quarters, Pie and his 10 feline playmates should be the envy of every other cat in town.

Striped tropical fish adorn the bright aqua and lilac colored walls of their home. Sofas are draped in furry throws adorned with paw prints. Fleecy cat beds are scattered around the room. But true to form, the cats decide where they want to repose, whether it’s atop a heating pad in a vintage Radio Flyer or on the uppermost platform of an elaborately carpeted climbing tree.

"They’ll sleep together and clean each other and play together, and the next thing you know, they’ll have a big fight," said Betty Fowler.

Bob and Betty Fowler have dedicated an entire floor of their Pioneer Road home to their cats. Like millions of Americans, the Fowlers are nuts about their feline friends, even joking about the fine line between a cat person and a crazy person.

Call cat lovers crazy, but they aren’t short on company. Cats have replaced dogs as man’s best friend, numbering 77 million in American homes compared to 65 million dogs, according to a survey conducted by the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association. Americans spent $4.2 billion on cat food and $168 million on cat treats in 2002.

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The pro-cat trend likely holds true in Oregon, where 40 percent of households — 521,770 residences — in Multnomah, Washington, Clackamas and Clark counties prefer cats to dogs, said Barbara Baugnon, marketing director for the Portland-based Oregon Humane Society.

"You don’t have to walk them in the snow or rain," Baugnon said.

Canine companions inhabit 35 percent of homes, according to the counties’ pet registry statistics. More than 767,000 homes in the four counties owned both cats and dogs, she added. Cat ownership statistics aren’t available in Jackson County, but Colleen Macuk, director of the county’s animal shelter, doesn’t doubt their appeal as pets.

"Cats are becoming the more easy-care pet," said Macuk.

Cats can reside solely indoors and usually live an average of 18 years if they don’t spend much time outside, compared to 10 years for the average large-sized dog, Baugnon said. Cats also tend to be tidy pets, requiring little or no grooming. And while they’re generally not perceived as sociable animals, cats’ aloofness endears them to many feline lovers.

"You kind of have to give them some space for them to be themselves," said Bob Fowler.

"You call a dog, and they come. You call a cat, and they take a message and maybe get back to you."

But the stereotypical feline independence is the very trait that makes cats more vulnerable than dogs. Pet owners have a perception that while dogs need a pack to survive, cats can fend for themselves, Macuk said. For this reason, cats tend to be abandoned more often when owners move or their feline companions become too much trouble, she said.

Last year, the county’s animal shelter euthanized 2,518 cats — many wild — compared to 765 dogs, according to county statistics. More cats are euthanized because there are simply more cats than dogs and more cats show up at local shelters, Macuk said.

Cats are adopted at lower rates than dogs because feline friends are available in all corners of the community — from the homes of friends and neighbors to free boxes in grocery store parking lots, Macuk said.

In 2004, 725 cats were adopted from animal control, compared to 912 dogs. The Southern Oregon Humane Society found homes for 197 cats through October this year compared to 345 dogs. Committed Alliance to Strays, or CATS, a no-kill shelter that takes in cats only, has arranged adoptions for an average of 328 cats every year for the past 14 years.

A former CATS protégé, Duchess, was installed at the Medford office of attorney Colette Boehmer to put clients at ease as they seek help obtaining a divorce. With long white hair and emerald eyes, Duchess serves as greeter, jester and lap-warmer in the West Main Street office, leaving in her wake a trail of sticky notes swiped up with her plumy tail.

"I am so thankful that she’s here," said legal assistant Teresa Simi. "She’ll come in, and she knows when you’re stressed out, and she’ll give you love. It’s amazing how they just know."

A dog would need to be walked and taken outside several times a day, Simi says, but Duchess contents herself with napping on a purple cushion and bird-watching from the third-story window.

"I’ve heard a lot of people come in and say, ‘Oh, I wish my boss would let us have a cat.’ "

Talent resident Laurie Hyde not only takes her cat on regular outings, but he travels in style.

Woody, a lynx-point Siamese, perambulates in a specialized stroller Hyde purchased from a pet supply company. The apparatus resembles a Conestoga wagon with a shade cover and a spot where Woody can sun or watch the world go by, Hyde said.

Woody tours shopping malls and has even traveled as far as Las Vegas, where Hyde saw the musical "CATS." Woody, unfortunately, stayed in the hotel room.

"I think it shows ... that (cats) are more versatile than people think," Hyde said. "For my lifestyle, cats just fit perfectly."

Reach reporter Sarah Lemon at 776-4487, or e-mail slemon@mailtribune.com.