Did You Know Pets Influence Their Owners’ Lives?

In a world of people seeking virtual connections, a recently released study by Mars Inc. found many people are finding those connections with their pets.

According to the Mars Global Pet Parent Study, pet ownership is on the rise and the emotional connection between people and their pets is stronger than ever.

“Almost half (47%) of those surveyed are first-time owners, signaling a new era of pet parents,” said Ikdeep Singh, global president of Mars Pet Nutrition in a media release. “We know that pet parents are evolving, and we need to evolve with them, which means embedding pet parent centricity into our DNA to transform the experience and build lifelong relationships with the 455 million pets and pet parents we reach.”

Among the findings in the study, while the idea of childless cat ladies has been in the air, 52% of cat owners are men. In addition, while 37% of pet owners consider their pets the most important thing in their lives, the number is even higher for GenZ and Millennials at 45% and 40% respectively, according to the release.

While social media continues to exert a growing influence on society, the study found that family (25%) and friends (21%) are the primary groups influencing the decision to get a pet. Social media comes in third at 13%, according to the study.

It is important to note the global pet care market was valued at nearly $250 billion in 2023 and is expected to grow to $427 billion by 2032.