Japanese Pet Survey Finds Owners Spend Twice as Much on Dogs as Cats

A survey conducted by Japanese pet insurance company Anicom Insurance showed that, as of 2020, annual average spending on dogs had gone up 13.1% to ¥347,104, and for cats, it was up 3.9% to ¥164,835. The gap between spending on the two kinds of pets widened, with dogs costing more than twice as much as cats.

The survey was conducted over the Internet among the company’s insurance policy holders, with responses received from 3,532 people.

For both dogs and cats, the biggest expense was “foods and treats,” coming to ¥64,745 for dogs and ¥42,925 for cats. In addition, “veterinary care for injury or illness” was up 34.7% over the previous year to ¥60,430 for dogs, and up 33.1% to ¥31,848 for cats. The analysis of the insurance company is that “with the coronavirus, people have been working at home and refraining from going out, so they spend more time with their animals, and are probably more aware of the slightest change in their condition, leading to an increase in vet visits.”

The areas where owners mentioned spending more on their pets than on themselves included 32.9% for grooming, and 30.8% for veterinary fees. Answers included “I only get my hair cut once every two or three months, but the dog goes for a trim every month”, and “they get very thorough health checks and are treated even for the slightest thing.”

© Pixta

(Translated from Japanese. Banner photo © Pixta.)