Japanese Pet Owners Spend More on Dogs and Cats in 2021

A survey in Japan conducted by ipet Insurance targeted 1,018 dog and cat owners, asking them about their annual expenditure on their pets in 2021. The most common spending for dog owners, at 29.6%, was in the range ¥50,000 up to ¥100,000, while cats were cheaper, as 36.9% of owners spent less than ¥50,000. The percentage of those who stated that they spent more than ¥100,000 over the year increased by 4.3 points from the previous year to account for 40% of the total.

Pet owners were also asked what they felt had been a large expenditure related to their pet last year and the top responses were “treatment for illness or injury,” “vaccinations and health checks,” and “food and snacks”. Compared to 2020, “food and snacks” increased by 8.9 points for dogs and 12.2 points for cats. This seems to indicate that owners, having had to spend more time at home due to the pandemic, have been overfeeding their pets, possibly leading to weight gain.

The service that both cat and dog owners most wanted to try in the future was “online health check or consultation.” Lifestyle changes caused by the pandemic have meant people are spending more time with their pets and so they are taking more of an interest in their pets’ health and physical condition.

(Originally published in Japanese. Banner photo © Pixta.)