LONDON, March 30, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --
Today, the Pet Food Manufacturers' Association (PFMA) releases
its NEW Pet Data Report confirming a 500,000 rise in the cat
population, which now stands at 8 million[i]. This
increase is largely driven by a rise of over 25% in the number of
men owning cats (approx. 1m more men)[ii]. This year,
PFMA publishes the data results following interviews with over 8000
UK households[iii] in its exciting new Pet Data
Report[iv]. Key findings include:
- 12 million households (44% of UK households) have a pet
- There are 54 million pets in the UK (33 million fish and 21
million non-aquatic)
- The cat population has increased by around half a million.
- Over a third of households with children said they would
consider a small mammal as a pet[v]
The cat-owning household figure has risen from 17.1% (4.8m) in
2016 to 18.3% (5.1m) in 2017.
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(Photo:
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Interestingly, more men now own cats, up from 13% in 2016 to 17%
in 2017. More young people own cats with those aged 16-34 up
3% plus those aged 35-44 up 2%.
Cats Protection's Social Media Manager, Gemma Croker, said: "Cats have always been on
social media but we have definitely noticed more men openly
expressing their love for their feline friends. We now see more
male celebrities talking about their cats such as our supporter The
Vamps' James McVey (cat Mickey),
Ed Sheeran (Graham) and Russell Brand (Morrissey)[vi]. It is
possible that this trend may have triggered an increase in
popularity for cats among the general male population, which is
great news for rehoming cats."
Michael Bellingham PFMA Chief Executive, "Pet ownership is a
rewarding experience for everyone. It's wonderful to see that men
are realising the huge benefits of pets with an increase in cat
ownership in this sector. Our research also showed 38% of
families with children were considering a small mammal so its good
news for all pets.
We have now been conducting our research with TNS since 2008 and
have seen many changes in the pet population. We are delighted that
in spite of the challenges presented to pet ownership, our
population is stable with a 4% increase to 12 million households
owning a pet."
PFMA's top ten pets for 2017 are:
15-20 million fish kept in tanks
15-20 million fish kept in ponds
8.5 million dogs
8 million cats
900,000 rabbits
700,000 pet birds
700,000 reptiles
600,000 domestic fowl
500,000 guinea Pigs
300,000 hamsters
This year our Top Ten Pets is published as part of a detailed
'Pet Data Report', which includes regional data, pets per
household, first pets, pet nutrition research, UK market data and
much more. The report can be viewed online:
http://www.pfma.org.uk/statistics.
i. Exact cat population 2016/17 8 million, 2015/2016 7.4m giving
an increase of ca 500,000
ii. Male cat ownership has grown from 13% (4.2m men) in 2016 to
and 17% (5.5m men) in 2017. The difference is around 1.33m. Solus
Consulting confirm this growth can be quoted as 1m / 25% growth.
This estimate is based on ONS published UK population data
2014/2015, 2011 census and PFMA pet surveys 2016/17.
iii. Each year a representative sample of UK adults are
interviewed by TNS / Solus Consulting, in face-to-face interviews,
regarding their pet ownership. Since 2014, a sample of over 4,000
people have been interviewed. In order to further reduce
statistical uncertainty, survey results are averaged over 2 years,
giving an effective sample of over 8,000 people.
iv. PFMA's new Pet Data Report 2017 can be viewed in full at
pfma.org.uk
v. Small mammals include rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters - all
small mammals
vi. Famous cats and male owners include: Larry the Downing
Street cat and ex prime minister David
Cameron, Russell Brand and
Morrissey, Ricky Gervais and Ollie,
David Bowie, George Clooney, John
Travolta, Nicholas Cage, Ewan
McGregor…