Mars Incorporated, the global leader in pet care products and services and the world’s most beloved treat brands, today revealed the results of the largest study in the world on pet parents.
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With insights from over 20,000 dog and cat owners across 20 countries, the study reveals the significant influence these animals have on our lives, exploring the needs of these evolving pet parents.
The study covers generational differences in pet ownership, the most popular breeds, and brings new approaches to the challenges faced by pet owners worldwide.
With the increasing number of pet owners and the growing importance of these animals in people’s lives, the results point to a new owner-centric era where the emotional connection between them and their pets is stronger than ever.
Aiming to ensure that all pets have a happy and healthy home, and in alignment with Mars’s ongoing purpose of creating a better world for pets, the study will be launched alongside the first global Mars Pet Adoption Weekend. This event will take place in twelve countries across Europe, Asia, South America, and North America, celebrating new pet parents and encouraging more adoptions around the world.
Ikdeep Singh, Global President of Mars Pet Nutrition, comments: “Almost half (47%) of the respondents are first-time pet owners, indicating a new era of pet parents. We know that pet parents are evolving, and we need to evolve with them, which means embedding a focus on pet parents in our DNA to transform the experience and build lasting relationships with the 455 million animals and their ‘pet humans.'”
With over 1 billion pets in the world, we are becoming an increasingly connected society to animals. Owners show great dedication, with more than a third (37%) of dog and cat owners stating that their pets are the most important thing in their lives. This percentage is even higher among Generation Z (45%) and Millennials (40%).
There is also a preference for kittens and puppies: 84% of dogs and cats are adopted before they are 12 months old. The most popular dog breeds globally are Labrador (6%), Chihuahua (6%), and Golden Retriever (5%), while the most common cat breeds are Persian (16%), British Shorthair (11%), and Siamese (9%).
Currently, cat ownership is more common than dog ownership worldwide, with more men (52%) than women (48%) being cat owners. The decision to have a pet is significantly influenced by the people around us, with family (26%) being the main factor, followed by friends (21%), social media (13%), online research (13%), and veterinarians (11%).
The research reinforces that dogs and cats play fundamental roles in our lives. Among the owners satisfied with their pets [2], dog owners value the unconditional love (50%) and the sense of family they bring (49%), while cat owners appreciate the entertainment (48%) and stress relief (44%) provided by their companions.
However, being a pet owner also has its challenges: 32% feel guilty about leaving their pets alone, only 42% consider their neighborhoods very pet-friendly, and 26% of owners find traveling with their pets to be a challenging task.
Since the launch of the BETTER CITIES FOR PETS™ program in 2017, Mars has developed various initiatives around the world to help cities become certified as pet-friendly, allowing more people to enjoy the benefits of living with pets. Additionally, earlier this year, the Mars CESAR® brand teamed up with Tripadvisor to launch a new pet travel center in the U.S., connecting owners with resources and guidance for traveling with their animals.
The first Global Mars Pet Adoption Weekend
For 16 years, Mars and its family of pet care and veterinary health brands, including PEDIGREE®, IAMS™, ROYAL CANIN®, and their treat and food brands, have joined with the additional support of the PEDIGREE Foundation to hold the Mars Pet Adoption Weekend.
This year, the Mars Pet Adoption Weekend will be held globally for the first time, with participation from twelve countries during one of the two weekends in October. Participating countries include Brazil, Canada, China, France, India, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Thailand, the Philippines, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
With the rise in pet adoption, more opportunities arise to ensure that those living in shelters or on the streets find loving homes. Considering the undeniable joy pets provide and the fact that only 11% of dog owners in the surveyed countries adopt animals from shelters, Mars emphasizes the importance of its mission to end homelessness for these animals.
The Mars Pet Adoption Weekend will support pet adoption globally through various activities, including financial contributions to shelters, adoption events, volunteer activities, and other awareness initiatives.
Ikdeep Singh, Global President of Mars Pet Nutrition, concludes: “With an estimated 362 million homeless dogs and cats worldwide, it is our responsibility to find innovative ways to remove barriers to pet adoption.”
“We need to connect with new pet parents from the start of their journey so they can find the perfect four-legged companion. By launching our first global Pet Adoption Weekend, we reaffirm our commitment to our purpose: a better world for pets, a mission that has been at the heart of Mars for nearly 90 years.”
About the research
- This research was commissioned by Mars, Incorporated and conducted by Ipsos. The survey was conducted online in 20 markets, encompassing over 20,000 dog and cat owners and non-owners, with a minimum of 500 cat parents and 500 dog parents in each market.
- The included markets are: Canada, United States, Mexico, Brazil, South Africa, England, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Turkey, Poland, India, Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines, China, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand.
