What we can learn from profiling Spain’s pet parents

Around 49% of Spanish households are believed to have a pet, with 39% of owners considering their pet to be a part of the family. Recent research has classified the country’s pet-owning demographic into 5 different profiles according to their attitudes and habits.

5 profiles

The Spanish Association of Trade and Industry of the Pet Sector (AEDPAC) study concludes that not all pet parents relate to their pets in the same way. The biggest group is those who genuinely love their animals, representing 24.2% of Spanish pet parents. The loyal and friendly (23.8%) and first-time owners (22%) follow. Nearly 2 out of 10 pet parents in the country (17.6%) consider their pets companions, while 12% are eco-conscious.

In love

The largest group consists of couples with an average age of 44 and with 2.4 pets – 35% of these pet owners have both a dog and a cat. They enjoy a comfortable income, and, as the name suggests, love is the strongest feeling toward their pets. Unsurprisingly, this group is the most likely to refer to their pet as ‘son’ or ‘daughter’ (12%), and more than 8 in 10 consider their pet as a member of the family.

Loyal and friendly

With an average age of 47, these couples live comfortably within their means. This group is most likely to have both dogs and cats (40%) and is also among the highest to keep birds (13%). Their pets provide these owners with affection (83.9%). After loving owners, they are the most likely group to consider their pets as family members (75%).

First-timers

This category is for those who have become pet owners for the first time. They tend to have children and 1 pet and are, on average, 45 years old. In fact, this is the group most likely to have a dog (71%) – the highest proportion of all pet parents. They love their pets for their companionship (50%).

Happy companions

These are couples with children who have always had pets. At an average age of 47, they have, on average, 2.1 pets and live comfortably within their means. Similar to first-timers, their pets provide them with companionship (58%), but happiness (53%) is also quite strong.

Eco-conscious

These pet parents are mostly couples with no children, 46 years old on average, and are people who have always had a pet. They are more likely to be less affluent than the other pet parents, and companionship (63%) is the strongest feeling they have toward their pets. Just 6 in 10 consider their pets members of the family, the lowest proportion across all groups.

Shopping habits

Eco-conscious (48%) and in-love pet parents (45%) are more likely to shop at bricks-and-mortar and online retailers.

More than half of first-timers shop at bricks-and-mortar stores only (56%) – the highest proportion among all pet parents. This is closely followed by happy companions (53%) and loyal and friendly (52%). Happy companions and in-love owners, on the other hand, prefer to shop exclusively online (9%).

However, pet parents’ spending goes beyond food; treating their pets is also important. The in-love, happy and friendly groups are more likely to buy toys to play with their furry friends (93% and 92%, respectively). Happy companions, on the other hand, are the least likely group to buy toys (17%).

Loyal and friendly (75.8%), in-love (74.6%) and first-timers (72%) are most likely to buy Christmas presents for their pets. Loyal and friendly are also among the biggest splurgers, with an average spend reaching €29 ($31.71).

Feeding preferences

Overall, most pet parents feed their pets dry pet food (92%) and over half (56%) wet pet food. Nevertheless, pet owners also showed differing behaviors toward the type of food, particularly when it came to homemade food or BARF diets.

In fact, a third of the eco-conscious group (34%) feeds their pets homemade food – the highest among pet parents. The in-love group has a similar propensity, with 33% feeding homemade food, followed by 32.9% of first-timers.

Regarding BARF diets, eco-conscious pet parents are also more likely to feed this type of food, whether cooked (13%) or raw (15%), and 1 in 10 happy companions also feed their pets these diets (10%).

Regardless of the type of food chosen, most pet parents spend, on average, €60 ($65.61) on pet food per month.

You can find a 2024 overview of the Spanish pet industry, including the latest data and trends, here.