APPA: Pet Population, Spending at All-Time Highs

The percentage of U.S. households owning pets grew a staggering 600 basis points to 68 percent in 2012 from 62 percent in 2010 and a previous peak of 63 percent in 2004 and 2006, according to new data released yesterday by the American Pet Products Association at its Global Pet Expo trade show in Orlando, Fla.

That pet population growth continues to fuel growth in pet spending, which the APPA reported grew 4.7 percent in 2012 to 53.33 billion (from $50.96 billion in 2011). The APPA forecast pet spending would increase 4.1 percent in 2013 to $55.5 billion.

The trade association's 2013-2014 National Pet Owners Survey indicated about 82.5 million U.S. households now owned at least one pet, up nearly 10 million households from the 72.9 million households indicated in the 2011-12 survey.

That suggests a 13 percent increase in the number of pet-owning households over the past two years during a time where consumer spending in general has been tepid. It is considerably more bullish than the American Veterinary Medical Association’s latest statistics, which estimated the overall percentage of U.S. households owning pets at the end of 2011 was 56 percent, down 2.4 percent from 2006. 

Source: American Pet Products Association  2013-2014 National Pet Owners Survey

In addition, the new APPA data showed that the U.S. now has 56.7 million dog-owning households (46.2 percent of overall households) and 45.3 million cat-owning households (37.3 percent overall). The APPA estimates the U.S. pet dog population at 83.3 million dogs and the pet cat population at 95.6 million cats. (Cat owners typically own more cats than dog owners own dogs.)

By comparison, the latest AVMA estimates were 70 million dogs and 74.1 million cats.

While the AVMA and APPA have different survey methodologies and that signs pointed to an increase of pet acquisitions in 2012, the two studies generally track each other fairly closely, with the APPA figures traditionally trending somewhat higher, in large part in that in measures pet ownership over a 12-month period and the AVMA measures pet ownership at a given moment. Thus, the APPA figures would include homes that had recently lost or relinquished their pets and the AVMA figures would not.

Also, the APPA’s estimates of households owning pets have not seen such a dramatic shift from one survey to the next. The previous highest increase was 300 basis points, from 56 percent of households in 1994 to 59 percent in 1996. Much like this year’s strong rebound followed, the sharp increase in 1996 followed a dip from the prior survey. In 1992, the survey estimated 58 percent of U.S. households owned pets.

The APPA attributes the climb in pet-owning households not to anomalies in surveys or a stabilizing economy but word-of-mouth promotions of the joys and benefits of pet ownership.

“As an industry, we have been working very hard to promote the joys and benefits of responsible pet ownership and we are thrilled to see that more people are opening their homes and sharing their families with pets than ever before,” said APPA president and CEO Bob Vetere. “We believe that key initiatives have contributed to the growth and increasing word-of-mouth including the formation of the Human Animal Bond Research Initiative two years ago, a large national social media campaign called Pets Add Life, school program, Pets in the Classroom and public service ad campaign, The Shelter Pet Project.”

What may be particularly promising for the overall pet industry is that the APPA reported recovery in the number of households owning pets other than cats and dogs. All of these species had seen declines in 2010, likely due to lingering recession concerns. And about 40 percent of U.S. households own multiple types of pets, APPA reported.

Its survey will be available to purchase at www.americanpetproducts.org at some point.