Who doesn’t like to treat their pets from time to time? Whether you’re looking for cat toys, something tasty for your dog, or something for your hamster’s cage or fish tank, we can spend more than we realize on nice things for our animal companions.
It’s for their birthdays, however, that many of us tend to go overboard the most when buying the best dog toys and other gifts. In fact, new research has shown that pet parents in the UK spend a whopping £1.7 billion (over $2.2 billion) on their pets’ birthdays each year.
The online greeting cards experts at Moonpig found that almost two-thirds (64%) of pet parents celebrate their pet’s birthday and other milestones, like their ‘gotcha day’ – marking the day they were adopted – each year.
Gen Z and millennial pet parents are most likely to go all out and throw their pets a birthday party, with 83% and 79% saying they have done so. In contrast, just two-fifths of over-55s have thrown pet birthday parties. However, 14% of those who hadn’t celebrated with birthday parties before said they’d consider it. Another 57% will post about their pets on social media to mark their special day.
Meanwhile, just over half (51%) of people have signed cards from their pets, while 47% have bought a card for them.
In terms of gifts, however, pet parents spend an average of £80 (just over $100) on birthday presents. 59% have bought their pets birthday gifts, with the most popular being new chew toys (72%), gourmet food or treats (64%), and extra walks or play on the day itself (63%).
But which pets get spoiled most frequently? Interestingly, it’s not dogs or cats. A huge 80% of guinea pig parents celebrate birthdays, and they’re closely followed by parrot and hamster parents with 79% and 77% respectively. According to the research, just 68% of dog parents and 62% of cat parents celebrate birthdays and other milestones.
@growingwithgia.belle ♬ som original - Fest🎸
Tuscany Wilson, who threw an elaborate first birthday party costing around $500 for her miniature dachshund Gia Belle, told Moonpig: “My dog is like my child, I knew since the day I got her, I wanted to throw a birthday party for her.
“I took a lot of inspiration from Pinterest for birthday party themes and inspiration. I wanted to ensure the location of the party was simple and controlled, so I chose to throw it in my own house so other owners would be comfortable letting their dogs off the leash.”
Elizabeth Cuevas threw a party costing around $100 for her cat’s first birthday, and told Moonpig that she wanted to do so because he was the first animal she got while living alone, and that her highlight of the party “was seeing him eating his cake and getting to play with his toys.”
@lizzie_cuevas ♬ sparks - welcome
Beed some inspiration? Why not try these 20 fun ways to celebrate your pet's birthday? These cat birthday cake recipes and DIY dog birthday cakes make tasty options, too
