Furry waistlines

When Kiwis have finished worrying about our own waistlines, eating the right foods and getting enough exercise, a new study shows they then switch their attention to their fur babies.

Nearly half of us measure the amount of food they give their pet to keep them at an ideal weight. However, just at it often the snacks that we humans eat that are the enemy of our idea weight, the same goes for pet snacks – more than half of pet owners confess to handing out treats and snacks between meals.

This is perhaps because New Zealanders are most concerned about their pet’s enjoyment when it comes to their food. Almost half of the population has pets in their home, with cats the clear favourite over dogs (62% of pet owners have cats, while just 35% have a do).

We spend about three quarters of a billion dollars annually on pet food, which shows the significant investment that people are putting in for their pets, says surveyor Canstar New Zealand General Manager, Jose George.

Baby Boomers are the most indulgent age group when it comes to indulging their furry friends, and variety is also key for pet owners – almost a quarter of Kiwis don’t like feeding their pet the same food every day as they worry that it will get bored with it.

“We love our animals so much that we are investing a lot of time in ensuring that they are happy – 65% of us are exercising them at least once a day and 70% are playing with them each day as well,” says Jose.

To keep up the contact, 40% of New Zealanders admit to having their animals sleep on or in their beds at night.

“When it comes to caring for their animals, Kiwis are fairly vigilant – 62% say that they keep up to date with their pets vaccinations,” he says. Baby Boomers are the most diligent about vaccination – 72% have their animals’ jabs complete.