Only about 6% of pet owners have insurance for their animals, a new Roy Morgan Research survey shows.

That equates to about 609,000 of the 7.3 million Australians who have dogs or cats.

Dog owners have the highest take-up of pet insurance at 7.1%, compared with 3.8% of the 3.4 million cat owners.

Low take-up is due to household finances. Employed people account for 77.4% of pet insurance customers. People who earn $50,000 or more account for 56.4%, yet represent only 35.5% of the population.

Partner-and-children families account for 42.9% of pet insurance customers, and women account for 59.8%.

Roy Morgan Industry Communications Director Norman Morris says the annual cost of pet insurance is likely to deter many potential customers.