Spending on Pets Tops $40 Billion in 2007

I just found article and am amazed at how much is spent on pet products each year. This is from a survey done at the end of April. Absolutely mind-boggling.

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Spending On Pets To Top $40 Billion

United States pet owners will likely spend more than $40 billion in 2007 on pet-related expenses, including food, accessories, veterinary care and gifts, according to the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association, which expects to publish its 2007-2008 APPMA National Pet Owners Survey by the end of April.

The survey estimated that 15 percent of dog owners, 10 percent of cat owners, 7 percent of bird owners and 18 percent of horse owners planned to purchase a “pet-related” item in the next 12 months.

These items include pet scrapbooks (3 percent of dog and cat owners), pet portraits (8 percent of dog owners, 4 percent of cat owners, 3 percent of bird owners and 10 percent of horse owners) and other products with the pet’s picture on them (9 percent of dog owners, 6 percent of cat owners, 4 percent of bird owners and 10 percent of horse owners).

In addition, 6 percent of dog owners and 3 percent reported holding holiday or birthday parties for their pets and nearly one-half of dog and cat owners and one-third of bird owners reported buying pet-themed (no cartoons) gift merchandise, including calendars, jewelry, and T-shirts, for themselves or others.

The survey also revealed continued strength in the gift-for-pets market, with more than 70 percent of dog, cat and bird owners reporting they had bought a gift for their pet in the past 12 months.

Pet owners were most likely to give their pets a gift for no particular reason, followed closely by Christmas.

A distant third most common gift-giving occasion was the pet’s birthday. These trends held steady regardless of type of pet.

Dog owners gave the most gifts per year, with the 78 percent of dog owners who gave their dogs gifts averaging seven gifts per year. Bird owners averaged five gifts per year; cat owners, four.

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