New report shows pet-related spending trends in US and Canada

United States

U.S. Key Takeaways:

• Overall consumer spend in the pets category increased by 143%, which included getting new pets or pampering existing ones.
• There has been a general increase in demand for all species of pets, but there’s 1.2x as many new dog owners than cat owners.
• Consumers spent 3x more on special diet pet food than on pet grooming supplies, and as this spend increased so did the consumer spending on vegetables and fruits.

The normal pet food category saw an increase of 100% in the specialty diet pet food category, which comprises weight-control food, hairball-control food, etc, saw an increase of 450%, while the pet grooming supplies category saw an increase of 185% during the pandemic.

According to Sensibill, pet owners not only focused on balancing food & nutrition for their pets, but also for themselves. They found that while consumer spending on specialty diet pet food increased, so too did consumer spending on vegetables and fruits.

Canada

Canadian Key Takeaways:

• Overall consumer spend in the pets category increased by 117%.
• Unlike the U.S., there are 2x more new cat owners than dog owners.
• Consumers spent 10x more on special diet food than on pet grooming supplies, and these same consumers spent more money on vegetables, fruits, and personal grooming supplies.

For the full reports, you can find the US edition here and the Canadian edition here