Mews: Is Your Pet Pawsitivly Part Of The Family?

Hi everyone,

Our friends over at IAMS recently conducted an interesting survey of UK pet owners and how they are the family members they should be.  Details of the survey can be found below.

From going on holiday to “taking part in every day chores” they are part of it all! 😀

While it may not be that easy to travel with our cats (Unless your cat is as easy going as Bob the Street Cat or Bailey the Boat cat!) they sure do form an important part of our families.

No day goes by without one of us having a conversation with Nubia for example. 😉

Nubia-on-tree.JPG

And of course Oliver will help out with many of the household chores such as recycling of boxes…

Oliver-in-box.jpg

Well almost! He has got the right idea 😉

So the big question is what do you do with your fur-family?!? Let us know in the comments!

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Thanks,

Marc

IS YOUR PET PAWSITIVLY PART OF THE FAMILY? 

·         One third of Brits went on holiday with their pet on the recent Bank Holiday

·         32% of pets suffer F.O.M.O, opening purposely shut doors to avoid being ‘left out’

·         A quarter of pets will help with (in some cases hinder) household chores

·         One in ten pet owners have conversations with their pets, believing their cat or dog uses recognisable words

Britain is a nation of animal lovers and home to an astonishing 15 million pets1, and new research from IAMS exposes the extent that our pets are taking over our lives, as more than one third (36%) of UK pet owners went on holiday with their furry companions this last bank holiday weekend.

Of the 1,000 cat and dog owners questioned by IAMS, one in ten (10%) admit to having regular conversations with their pet, with some even claiming that their pet has used recognisable words when communicating with them! And a further one third (32%) claim that their furry family members will purposely open shut doors to avoid being ‘left out’, showing that F.O.M.O. is now taking over the animal kingdom.

When it comes to the home, half of dogs (50%) will influence what we watch on the telly by barking in reaction to certain programmes. Whilst cats aren’t as vocal, they tend to hog the sofa with 60% refusing to move when their owner attempts to sit down. The research also revealed that our pet cats and dogs will get involved in household chores, with 26% helping (or in some cases hindering) in the laundry room.

The new research is testament to the rising trend of pet humanisation, whereby pet owners are indulging their animal companions with products and services typically reserved for humans, such as pet-friendly holidays, doggie spas, cat cafés and premium diet plans2.

Commenting on the findings, IAMS Veterinary Training Manager, Kellie Ceccarelli says, “Humanisation has become a huge trend in the pet world as families increasingly view their pets as members of the family. Whilst it’s touching to see the role pets play in our life and how special the bond is we share with them, it’s important that we respect their needs as cats and dogs, particularly with the nutritional choices we make for them.

“Taking our pets on holiday means that we can spend quality time with them as well as our family, but we must ensure we feed our pets their own food and not be tempted to ‘treat’ them with human foods, many of which can be harmful and in some cases very dangerous. As pet parents, it’s our responsibility to feed them a 100% complete and balanced diet which provides them with the ingredients needed to live a healthy and active life. What pets eat isn’t always what pets need, which is why IAMS includes high quality animal proteins and the advanced nutrition needed for a strong immune system and shiny coat.”

For more information about IAMS’ range of nutrition please visit www.iams.co.uk.

Source: IAMS and One Poll, survey of 1,000 UK cat and dog owners

1Pet Food Market Data Report 2015 – figure relates to cat and dogs owned in the UK

2Passport Premiumisation in the Age of Pet Parenthood

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16 thoughts on “Mews: Is Your Pet Pawsitivly Part Of The Family?

  1. mommakatandherbearcat says:

    Bear and I “talk” all the time (as our blog demonstrates). I’ve never taken him anywhere besides the vet and I think he likes it that way. But I can’t sit down without him joining me so we do just about everything else together. He likes to “help” me too – though I think it’s more an indication that he doesn’t appreciate anything but HIM getting my attention. I don’t even bother to close doors because he’s an expert howler and carpet ripper. It’s funny because when I brought him inside (he was homeless), I wasn’t used to being attached at the hip with anyone – human or otherwise – but now I can’t live without him there. He’s saved my life every single day for 10 years and makes sure I laugh and don’t take myself too seriously. I don’t know that I’d say the two are us are a family … more like he’s just part of me … completely indivisible as a whole. And especially for me, that’s HUGE because I spent most of my life surviving and not even feeling alive or anything but a huge hole.

  2. Peppermint says:

    My German Shepherd goes everywhere with me.

    When I used to sail some years back I took my two cats at that time sailing with me. One night my female cat went roaming on the dock and got into the wrong boat. She snuggled up with the guy next to my dock. He told me it didn’t bother him, that he kind of liked her snuggles. 🙂

  3. pilch92 says:

    My cats love to help with making the bed and for some reason, one of them is always in the bathroom with me.

  4. jan says:

    I can’t imagine traveling with our cat! He’s a stray that we dragged inside and are trying to tame – so far he’s done more taming of us!

    • Marc-André says:

      Yep our two are like our children to us too. 😀

      Travelling with them is a bit more difficult tho as we mostly fly and I wouldn’t want to put them through that stress. So generally “uncle Martin” stays with them haha

  5. heretherebespiders says:

    Our Bengal loves the car – but only if we stay under 30mph! Which is just fine for a short trip to the local shops. Anything faster and the howling begins. He would love one of those Japanese cat-pouch hoodies so I could take him outside, too.

  6. mysimpledelights says:

    Squirrel and I spend most of our days together. He will only eat when I’m having lunch and when my husband and I have our dinner. His food bowl is usually full when he is left alone and will only eat when we’re around. He has travelled and lived with us in England, Spain and now USA. He is part of our family indeed.?

  7. Pingback: The Latest Trends in Cat Ownership and Cat Care - Katzenworld

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