Cats are often interested in a white flowered plant called Nepeta cataria also known as catnip or cat mint They sniff it rub it on its leaves and bite it to experience a heightened state of pleasure Sometimes it seems that they even try to catch imaginary mice The pet products market is in that same moment of ecstasy with the difference that it is not experiencing any hallucinations In Western Europe spending on food and accessories will rise to 365 billion euros this year according to calculations by Euro-monitor International a provider of market research In his studies the accumulated growth in the last three years of the furry friends business reaches 13 It had been advancing strongly before the pandemic but after the confinements a new cycle has opened that has added millions of puppies to an already considerable population
Voice of the animal feed industry in Europe calculates with data from 2021 that there are 90 million households with one or more pets They are five million more than in 2019 and result in the existence in homes or outside them of 113 million cats 92 million dogs 48 million birds and another 56 million animals including rabbits fish and turtles The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty.
Animals released survey data in May last year showing that one in five families had adopted a cat or dog since the start of the pandemic roughly 23 million Americans Estimates for Spain made by Anfaac the association of feed manufacturers and Veter industry speak of a census also in 2021 of 29 million pets between dogs 93 million cats 58 and other adorable friends There are 26 million more dogs and 21 million more cats than in 2019.
Companies nurture such growth with thousands of offers from an endless catalog of dry and wet foods to increasingly extensive ranges of beds harnesses carriers toys feeders scratching posts or clothing In Spain there are some 5000 neighborhood stores items are sold in most of the 6516 existing veterinary centers and department stores always have their specialized section just like Asian stores.
The large supermarket type chains are increasingly popular Tiendanimal and Kiwoko from the same business group or Petuluku and join the branches developed by gardening groups Verdecora Jardiland and the growing online offer Riovet Zooplus Animalcity Miscota and many others Even Ikea has a range of furniture developed by designers and veterinarians Lurvig
The world of services is not far behind Olga de Diego president of the Federation of Dog Groomers Fepecae puts active businesses in the thousands although there are really many hidden due to great intrusiveness with people who start combing four neighborhood dogs at home.
In addition there is a large group of emerging companies with services unimaginable until recently from places for car washing dogs to applications that supposedly translate the meows of cats into human language That without taking into account the enormous dimension of the veterinary business and the increasingly important branch of dog training and residences
