Nearly half of pet owners cancel plans to stay home with their pet

Almost half of pet parents have canceled plans just to stay home with their pet.

That’s according to a new survey of 2,000 cat and dog owners, which found that not only have 48% bailed on plans with friends and family, they’ve done so an average of five times in their pet’s life.

Another 30% even admit they’ve called out of work just to stay home with their pet — averaging four times since they’ve brought them home.

Almost all respondents (97%) agree that their pet is a member of their family and another 99% believe it’s important to show them love and appreciation every single day.

To show their love, pet parents chat with their four-legged friends an average of 11 times per day, as well as average 10 cuddle sessions and 10 instances of giving them scratches or a massage.

Respondents reported that on average, they also play games with their pet seven times per day, call them nicknames 10 times and even sing to them about five times.

And when they aren’t spending time together, their pets are also dominating owners’ thoughts. Respondents dwell on their pet nearly every other waking hour (four times per day).

Not only that, but another 39% are concerned about their pet’s nutrition at least once a day, with 22% saying they think about it multiple times.

Conducted by Talker Research on behalf of dog and cat food brand Nutrish, the survey found that when asked about several different aspects of their pet’s well-being, pet parents selected nutrition most frequently (40%) as the aspect they feel is most important.

Most pet owners (51%) feed their pet a combination of both dry and wet food, including 61% of cat owners.

Cats tend to prefer the wet food portion of their meal (31%), whereas dogs prefer dry food (43%), according to their pet parents.

They also have different palate preferences; dogs most often devour chicken (44%), beef (31%) and bacon (30%), whereas cats prefer chicken (57%), salmon (43%) and turkey (18%).

Regardless of flavor choice, 13% of all pet owners report that their pet has special dietary needs — including sensitive stomach (38%) and weight management (28%).

“Between dousing them with love and affection and paying special attention to their nutritional needs, it’s clear that cat and dog owners take their pet parenting seriously,” said Dr. Preston Buff, a board-certified Animal Nutritionist working as a Principal Scientist of Nutrition and Animal Safety at Post Consumer Brands, which manufactures Nutrish. “Pet owners are going the extra mile to ensure that their pet feels like part of the family, and high quality food with ingredients that offer mind, body and energy benefits can only increase that bond.”

The survey also asked respondents to design a hypothetical “dream day” for their pet, specifically, a day that combines all their fluff ball’s favorite things.

According to the results, their special day would start around 8:36 a.m. The main event for the day would be either a road trip (34%), a shopping spree at their pet’s favorite store (29%) or a dinner at a pet-friendly restaurant with a pet-friendly menu (27%) together.

Pet owners would also ideally lay in the sun or sit outside with their pet for an average of five hours and report that their pet would want to nap for an additional six hours during this extra special day.

This is good news, as almost two in five (37%) pet parents even say their favorite way to bond with their pet is a cuddle or nap on the couch or bed.

Pet parents hope that their pet will display some of their quirky or silly ways of showing happiness, including “zoomies,” “wiggle butt,” “trying to lick the cat's ears,” or even “take a little bite out of my nose.”

“Though it may be hypothetical, designing a dream or special day for their pet clearly demonstrates the lengths pet owners are willing to go to keep their furry friends feeling loved and both happy and healthy,” said Dr. Buff. “Pets bring so much joy into our lives and it’s only fair we reciprocate by giving them the quality time and quality food their owners know will make the difference.”

Survey methodology:
Talker Research surveyed 2,000 cat and dog owners; the survey was commissioned by Nutrish and administered and conducted online by Talker Research between August 24 and August 30, 2024.

We are sourcing from a non-probability frame and the two main sources we use are:
● Traditional online access panels — where respondents opt-in to take part in online market research for an incentive
● Programmatic — where respondents are online and are given the option to take part in a survey to receive a virtual incentive usually related to the online activity they are engaging in

Those who did not fit the specified sample were terminated from the survey. As the survey is fielded, dynamic online sampling is used, adjusting targeting to achieve the quotas specified as part of the sampling plan.

Regardless of which sources a respondent came from, they were directed to an Online Survey, where the survey was conducted in English; a link to the questionnaire can be shared upon request. Respondents were awarded points for completing the survey. These points have a small cash-equivalent monetary value.

Cells are only reported on for analysis if they have a minimum of 80 respondents, and statistical significance is calculated at the 95% level. Data is not weighted, but quotas and other parameters are put in place to reach the desired sample.

Interviews are excluded from the final analysis if they failed quality-checking measures. This includes:
● Speeders: Respondents who complete the survey in a time that is quicker than one-third of the median length of interview are disqualified as speeders
● Open ends: All verbatim responses (full open-ended questions as well as other please specify options) are checked for inappropriate or irrelevant text
● Bots: Captcha is enabled on surveys, which allows the research team to identify and disqualify bots
● Duplicates: Survey software has “deduping” based on digital fingerprinting, which ensures nobody is allowed to take the survey more than once
It is worth noting that this survey was only available to individuals with internet access, and the results may not be generalizable to those without internet access.