1 in 2 German households owns a pet: survey

Almost 35 million dogs, cats, small mammals and pet birds lived in German households in 2020, the Industrial Association of Pet Care Producers (IVH) and the German Pet Trade and Industry Association (ZZF) announced on Monday, reported Xinhua.

Overall, 47 percent of all German households owned at least one pet last year, according to a survey conducted by the market research institute Skopos on behalf of IVH and ZZF. The number of pets went up by almost one million compared to the previous year.

"The increase in dogs and cats in particular is of course pleasing, but is not entirely unexpected," said Georg Mueller, chairman of IVH, in a statement. The trend, which has been ongoing for many years, "was certainly strengthened" by special circumstances of working from home in Germany during the COVID-19 crisis.

Cats remained Germans' favorite pets last year, as 15.7 million cats lived across 26 percent of all German households. According to the survey, dogs were the second most favorite pet among Germans.

Pets were also becoming increasingly popular among families in Germany. The survey found that 66 percent of all families with children had a pet, an increase of five percentage points compared to the previous year.

Total revenues of the German pet industry increased from 5.2 billion euros in 2019 to around 5.5 billion euros in 2020, according to the IVH and ZZF.

The COVID-19 pandemic was a "relevant influencing factor for the sales development in the German pet market," said Norbert Holthenrich, president of the ZZF. "Last year, the focus was on activity with animals, healthy eating, and new household purchases for both humans and animals."