Imagine living in a house with one dog, three cats, two lizards and a bird.
Now imagine what it costs each month to support these pets.
Christyna Stewart, 21, does not need to imagine this because this is her life. Stewart, who works for Petco at the corner of Poplar and Highland, said that the discounts from her job help a lot in paying the food bill.
“I would have to say that we spend about $200 a month on our pets,” Stewart said.
Besides food, Stewart and her boyfriend also have to pay for any trips to the veterinarian and occasionally buying treats for their pets.
Like many people, they enjoy spoiling their pets by treating them like children and lavishing gifts on them like bones, catnip and even clothing.
“The reason that my boyfriend keeps getting more pets is because he doesn’t want to have kids,” Stewart said.
A closer look at the booming pet care industry confirms that Stewart’s situation is hardly isolated. In 2001, 62 percent of American households comprised a pet compared to 56 percent in 1988.
The number of pet-friendly households has not increased dramatically in the past 14 years, but the money pet owners spend on their pets has.
Pet owners will spend an estimated $29.5 billion in 2002, according to a survey conducted by the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association. That is the equivalent of about $460 for each pet-owning household.
According to the APPMA survey, pet owners’ greatest expense during a 12-month period is related to veterinary care.
A national healthcare system for pets similar to the human version is one solution that has been proposed in the United Kingdom and is slowly gaining popularity in the United Sates.
People are spending almost double what they spent eight years ago, when the APPMA reported $17 billion was spent on the pet industry.
“The reason that people are beginning to show interest in pet insurance is because they want to protect their pet in case of emergencies when things can really get expensive,” said Stacy Fulk, a receptionist at Eastgate Animal Hospital in Memphis.
Fulk said that maintaining a pet’s health is not a huge expense, with vaccinations running at about $100 per year for a cat. Dental care for dogs costs approximately $200.
Although dental cleanings are not vital to a pet’s survival, Fulk says the procedure is very popular.
“People these days are willing to do anything to keep their pets alive and happy as long as they can,” Fulk said.
However, not all pet owners share the same staunch devotion.
Shaun Odum, 21, owner of a 6-month-old pit bull, says there is a limit to what he would spend on his pet.
“I wouldn’t take out loans or go into debt or anything. But if it was within reason, and I could afford it, I would spend the money,” Odum said.
After veterinary expenses, people spend the most on food and supplies, such as shampoo, treats, and toys.
The pet industry depends on pet owners’ straying from the necessity aisle into the squeaky toy aisle with stuffed hamburgers and other toys.
Pet stores offer an assortment of products from giant tennis balls to treats that promise to make even the smelliest dog breath smell like roses.
There is even doggie haute couture: a faux leopard skin fur coat with a matching belt.
The most amazing thing, according to Odum, is that people buy these things for their pets every day.
“The thing is, some people are just head over heels for their pets,” Odum said.
