Researcher finds that feeding pets creates the equivalent of 64 million tons of carbon dioxide a year Date:August 2, 2017 Source:University of California - Los Angeles Summary: US cats and dogs cause 25-30 percent of the environmental impact of meat consumption in this country. The nation's 163 million cats and dogs eat as much food as all the people in France. People should keep their pets -- and keep feeding them meat -- but there may be steps pet owners can take to reduce their environmental impact, says a researcher.