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Despite our recession (though apparently it’s recovering), some industries are on the rise. One of them, according to BBC News, is the pet industries. That’s right, in a time when pet food banks are growing at Animal Control facilities across the country and some people are still losing/struggling to stay in their homes, Americans are spending more on their pets than ever before.
As you might guess, 65% of the overall amount spent is on food and veterinary costs. More people are also buying pet insurance. Maybe this just indicates that more people are looking to own more pets. This doesn’t seem extravagant to me; I find animals a real comfort in hard times and I don’t begrudge or judge anyone seeking that solace.
No, the interesting piece of information from BBC News is that, although typical pet costs (food and medical bills) make up the majority of pet spending, the areas seeing the largest overall growth are “pet services;” basically, the less-necessary aspects of pet ownership. Spending on groomers, boarding, pet hotels, and pet sitting/walking are all skyrocketing.
All right, some of these necessarily follow my earlier statement. More people want pets, but maybe still want to take their summer vacations places where the pets can’t come along, so they’ve got to pay kennels or pet-sitters. Maybe these people aren’t comfortable leaving their cats alone for a week, or maybe some of that pet sitting money is counted as what you pay the neighborhood kid to come into your house once a day to feed the cat and scoop litter.
However, can this really account for everything? The American Pet Products Association reported that spending on pets passed $50 billion in the United States in 2011. The name of the organization gives me pause: “pet products.” They might count food among spending in their area, but would they really track information like veterinary fees and kennel costs?
My head is just filled with pictures of spending on pet spas, more toys, even clothing. I wonder a little at all the money going toward pet care: it sounds to me like more people are getting pets but aren’t around very often to take care of their animals. Or perhaps they are but they want to pamper those animals; maybe they don’t want to leave their cats alone even for a weekend, like I do.
Without more specific details there is no knowing specifically where this spending is going, and that’s O.K. For me the bottom line is that more Americans own pets, and spending money to properly take care of them. I’m not trying to imply that if you don’t take your pet to spas and constantly have pet sitters over then you’re a bad pet owner (because if so, then I’d be a bad one); it’s the veterinary figures that please me. Perhaps this means more pets are getting regular checkups and vaccinations, and that’s fantastic.
Do you spend a lot of money on your pets? Is most of that just for food and medical bills, or do you like to pamper your pooch?
Related Articles:
Amazon Launches New Pet Website
Why Veterinary Prices Might Go Up
When to Extend the Animal Family
Luxury Pet Resort Opening at Disney World
Pet Obesity Rates Still Climbing
*(This image by laszlo-photo is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 License.)
