Will Brits spend more on their pets or partners this Valentine’s Day?
Celebrating Valentine’s Day with pets has become so popular that retailers like Pets at Home offer an extensive pet gift range and the internet is flooded with Valentine’s Day pet gift guides. A whopping 66% of pet owners admit to regularly buying pet accessories and spoiling their pet. Have we reached a tipping point, where owners will spend more on their pet Valentine than their partner?
Globally people spent around $22 billion on Valentine gifts in 2021, and almost 10% of this was to buy presents for beloved four-legged friends, and Brits are just as extravagant. As a nation, we are predicted to spend £1.3 billion on Valentine’s Day this year, of which a massive £27 million is on gifts for pampered pets. It should come as no surprise that pet-loving Brits spend a shocking amount of money on their pets every year and treat their pets like family.
Last year more than three quarters (76%) of Brits celebrated Valentine’s Day in some way and, according to Finder, 91% will get loved up this year. And it’s not just that pets get presents on Valentine’s Day - sometimes they are the present! A third of us have taken to surprising their partner with a pet as an expression of love.
Although Valentine’s Day is known as a day of chocolate, red roses, and romance, it no longer is a day only for couples. People have plenty of reasons to spend this special day with their loyal companion. According to research, cheap dates and quiet evenings are two of the most popular grounds for keeping your pet company on Valentine’s Day, but did you know that regularly spending time with your pet can make you more empathetic and increase your self-esteem? And there are ways to tell whether your pet is responding to your love.
Cats have an unfair reputation of being cold and uncaring, but any cat owner knows different. For Valentine’s Day, leading pet insurer petGuard have studied the tell-tale signs of affection from cats. Every feline is different, and yours may have their own special way of telling you that they’re enjoying your company, according to petGuard. Headbutting, cheek rubbing, slow blinking and following you around are all clear signs of devotion.
Head of Marketing, Alex Bennett said: “Cats are known for their independence, and this is often confused with being distant, but we know that isn’t true. This Valentine’s Day, it’s time to celebrate all of the ways that our cats show their affectionate side.”
At petGuard, we think it’s important to look out for the ways in which our cats show us love and affection.
Read more on:
https://www.petguard.co.uk/cat-love-signs
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