Mars Incorporated has revealed the results of the world’s largest pet parent study, providing insights into the behaviours, trends and influences defining a new era of Pet Parent Centricity.
Over 20,000 pet parents (dog and cat owners) across 20 countries were surveyed as part of the study.
Ikdeep Singh, Global President of Mars Pet Nutrition, says almost half (47%) of those surveyed are first-time owners, signalling a new era of pet parents.
“We know that pet parents are evolving, and we need to evolve with them, which means embedding pet parent centricity into our DNA to transform the experience and build lifelong relationships with the 455 million pets and pet parents we reach,” he said.
A pet obsessed world
Pet parents are clearly devoted to their pets, with 37% of dog and cat owners considering their pets the most important thing in their lives. The percentage is even higher amongst Gen Z (45%) and Millennials (40%).
Today, cat ownership is more common than dog ownership globally, with more men (52% male vs 48% female) being cat owners. There’s a preference towards kittens and puppies too: 84% of dogs and cats are acquired before the age of 12 months.
The decision to get a pet is greatly influenced by those around us with family (26%) as the primary influence, followed by friends (21%), social media (13%), online search (13%), and veterinarians (11%).
Dogs and cats play pivotal roles in our lives. Of those satisfied with their pets, dog owners appreciate unconditional love (50%) and family completeness (49%), while cat owners appreciate the entertainment (48%) and stress relief (44%) their four-legged friends bring.
However, being a pet parent also brings challenges: 32% feel guilty about leaving their dogs and cats alone, and only 42% find their neighbourhoods very pet-friendly, with a further 26% of pet parents claiming they find the idea of traveling with their pets demanding / challenging.
“As the world’s leading pet care company, we’re always working on the next big thing in pet parenting, using the insights from this study to continuously innovate and adapt to solve pet parent pain points,” Mr Singh said.
“Pet parents aren’t born – they become, which is why we must ensure they have the advice, guidance and support they need along every step of their journey.”
Global Mars Pet Adoption Weekend
To ensure every pet has a happy and healthy home, and as part of the company’s ongoing purpose: ‘a better world for pets’, the study launches in tandem with the first ever global Mars Pet Adoption Weekend. Mars Pet Adoption Weekend will take place in twelve countries across Europe, Asia, South America and North America, to celebrate new pet parents and encourage more adoptions across the world.