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Which One is More Expensive, Taking Care of a Cat or a Dog?

Having pets is fun. It has many benefits, one of them is making the owner healthier, both physically and mentally. On the other hand, taking care of pets should not be underestimated, especially in terms of feeding.

Jakpat conducted a survey to find out how pets are treated, especially in cats and dogs. The report, which involved 1,225 respondents, shows what types of food are given to pets and the costs of that.

The survey results stated that 34% of respondents got a pet by buying it. Then, 30% took street animals and 28% got pets from acquaintances. In terms of numbers, about 42% of respondents claimed to have 2 or 3 pets and 35% had only 1. Almost 60% of them already keep pets for 1-5 years.

What animals are kept the most?

Cats are the most widely kept animals. One out of 4 respondents keep this species. The second most pets are fish with a percentage of 29%. Birds and dogs take third (20%) and fourth place (12%).

“Judging from the distribution by gender, cat keepers are equal in proportion between men and women. However, among fish and bird keepers, more male segments are in as compared to females. As we often see in the neighborhood, the most involved in the community of bird lovers are the male group. Conversely, for dog keepers, there are more in the female segment than men,” said Head of Research Jakpat, Aska Primardi.

The Jakpat report also found that most respondents give their pets 3 times a day, especially for cats (67%) and rodents (51%) such as hamsters. Meanwhile, animals that are usually fed 2 times a day are chickens (65%), reptiles (61%), dogs (51%), and fish (49%).

Comparing the care of cats and dogs

Jakpat compared the care of two of the most common pets, cats and dogs. The average cost of caring for one dog is Rp1.8 million while per cat is Rp1.4 million. In terms of food, the average dog owners spend IDR 1 million while cats owners spend IDR 710 thousand. In conclusion, the maintenance of dogs is more expensive than cats.

“People seem to spend more to raise dogs than cats. From the initial stage, it can be seen that the majority get dogs by buying them, while cat lovers get cats from the streets (abandoned),” commented Aska.

He highlighted the cost of more care in raising dogs than cats. “Because of these larger budget demands, it’s no wonder that in one household, fewer dogs are kept than the number of cats kept. However, this larger budget is still acceptable for animal lovers as long as they can still find a positive experience from this activity,” Aska responded.

Whiskas, Me-O,  and  Royal Canin are the top three most recognized and purchased brands among cat owners. Then, as many as 56% of respondents bought the brand of Whiskas for their furry friends. Followed by Me-O  (34%) and Bolt (29%).

For dog owners, the 3 most recognizable brands are Royal Canin, Happy Dog and Pedigree. Happy Dog is the most purchased food by respondents with a percentage of 42%. Pedigree and Royal Canin are next with a percentage of 40% each.

There are various reasons for choosing a food brand. As many as 73% of respondents admitted to choosing a certain brand because it is suitable for their pet. The other top reasons are that brands are easy to find (66%) and have good quality (58%).