Survey reveals what shenanigans American pets got up to this year

From destroying water beds to letting wild animals inside, a new survey revealed the craziest calamities pets have unleashed on their owners.

The survey of 2,000 dog and cat owners uncovered their most surprising encounters with their furry friends, asked the pros (pet parents of more than five years) for parenting hacks and dove into pet finances, comparing data from 2022 to 2024.

Two-thirds of pet owners (66%) said their furballs are mischievous and most (58%) reported their pet has gotten up to no good in the last week.

Commissioned by digital insurance company, Lemonade, and conducted by Talker Research, the research even found that a quarter of pet parents (23%) reported their pet has gotten themselves into a conundrum in the last day.

However, only 36% of seasoned “pet pros” have seen a mess from their pet in the last few days, highlighting their pet expertise, in contrast with over half of newer pet owners (54%) who’ve experienced a pet catastrophe in the last few days.

Pet parents told tales of stolen dentures, hearing aids and even a Thanksgiving turkey. They reported their pets have brought live pigeons, possums, snakes, bats and bunnies into their homes.

One respondent even said their pet “ate a laptop, a Bible, two chargers and a pillow because we left him in the house alone for 30 minutes.”

In light of such mischievous behavior, 16% said their pet has gotten themselves into a mishap that warranted a vet visit in the last two years. Perhaps new to pet ownership, this jumped to 28% of Gen Z and 21% of millennial pet owners when looking at demographic differences.

For those emergency vet visits, pet owners paid $210 out of pocket, on average — a quarter (25%) even spent more than $300 and 10% had spent more than $500.

Fortunately, over half (54%) of respondents had insurance to help cover at least part of the bill with 31% saying their vet bill was covered entirely.

Gen Z proved to be the most prepared, with nearly three-quarters (74%) having insurance that helped foot at least part of the bill.

“Most pet owners would consider their pets family, doing whatever it takes to keep them safe and healthy. However, this can also include those unpredictable moments when our pets get a little too curious," said Dr. Stephanie Liff, vet health expert at Lemonade. "Planning ahead with pet savings or insurance can be a gamechanger, and sometimes even a life saver, during these moments, and can also help with the costs associated with regular vet visits as well."

Being a pet parent is no easy task. Respondents said they felt guilt about leaving their pets at home when going to work (30%), with 43% of Gen Z specifically feeling this guilt.

Anxiety about their pet’s health and wellness (30%) and fear their pet would be hurt by other animals when outdoors (23%) also came in as top concerns during respondents’ first few years of pet ownership.

Aside from powering through the tough times, pet parent pros told newer pet owners to trust their sources by researching helpful info from experts (25%), getting advice from other pet parents (23%) and tapping into their vet (21%).

A fifth (19%) also suggested starting to budget and save more for their furry friend’s needs.

Looking at pet finances up close, spending and budgeting have taken a turn compared to 2022 — pet parents are spending, saving, and budgeting less, but are also less likely to go into debt or overspend.

On average, pet owners spent $121 a month on their pets in 2024 — a stark decline from 2022 when they spent $276 a month.

Pet spending also decreased with age according to results, as Gen Z reported spending more per month on average ($178) than millennials ($146), Gen X ($115) and baby boomers ($90) in 2024.

Savings for pets have gone down dramatically this year. In 2022, 44% said they had a savings account for their pet, while only 10% said the same in 2024.

As far as budgeting, over half (52%) of respondents in 2022 stated they had a set budget for their pet while only 32% of respondents agreed in 2024.

Millennials led the way in 2022 with over half (57%) having a set budget (compared to 47% of Gen Z) — the lead in 2024 went to Gen Z with 48% having a set budget (compared to 38% of millennials).

But nearly all (95%) of pet parents have gone over their pet budget this year. Only 5% of pet parents reported never going over their budget while 16% said they always overspend.

However, this is an improvement from the 2022 study which revealed that almost twice as many respondents (30%) always overspent on their pets.

Despite saving and budgeting efforts, 23% of respondents have gone into debt to pay for their pet’s emergency needs in 2024. While not ideal, this is a positive drop from the 42% who said they’d gone into debt in 2022.

And while Gen Z respondents spent the most on their pets per month this year, compared to other demographics, they were the most likely to have insurance and least likely to get into pet debt.

"Pet parents may be more cautious with their spending and more apt to save these days, but what we're seeing in the data is they're also being more responsible with their spending," added Dr. Liff. "Whether it's a specific diet or insurance needs, prioritizing these more expensive line items for a pet's wellbeing will likely pay off down the line."

2024 survey methodology:
Talker Research surveyed 1,000 cat owners and 1,000 dog owners; the survey was commissioned by Lemonade and administered and conducted online by Talker Research between Oct. 22 and Oct. 28, 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.

2022 survey methodology
This random double-opt-in survey of 2,000 pet owners was commissioned by Lemonade between Aug. 1 and Aug. 10, 2022. It was conducted by market research company OnePoll, whose team members are members of the Market Research Society and have corporate membership to the American Association for Public Opinion Research (AAPOR) and the European Society for Opinion and Marketing Research (ESOMAR).