Our pets tend to be members of our families rather than just a possession. We value them unconditionally which is why we’re often looking for the best ways to make them more comfortable and safe at home.
Now, thanks to modern pet technology, we are able to give them just that.
What Does Today’s Pet Owner Look Like?
There is no single cohesive portrait of a pet owner.
Millennials and baby boomers show very similar rates of pet ownership at 35% and 32% respectively. By 2017, there were over 393 million pets in the U.S. Households with at least one pet family member grew from 56% in 1988 to almost 70% in 2017.
As pet ownership grows, so does people’s spending.
In the last 15 years, spending on pets has more than doubled. Nearly 80% of pet owners, millennials and baby boomers alike, consider their pets as members of the family and treat them accordingly. With the continuing increasing rates of pet parents, technology to help give them a better quality of life is following close behind.
See Also: Balancing Your Lifestyle With Your Pet
Hectic Lives Don’t Have To Mean Neglected Pets
Though we may cherish our pet’s company, duty calls and we are pulled away by other responsibilities.
On average, American workers spend eight hours per weekday at work, distancing us from our pets at home. Once we clock out, we only have 9 to 10 hours to spend on personal care. Add another two hours on top of that for household chores like cooking and cleaning. At the end of the day, perhaps literally as well as figuratively, we are left with just a measly four to five hours to care for our loved ones – including pets.
With this physical and emotional distance, tech-savvy pet owners are more likely to splurge on pet technology. The Internet of Things and other high-tech devices may help us get through our day but we aren’t the only ones that get a piece of the gadgetry.
- Millennials are 2x as likely to use tech to track and care for pets; 69% of Millennials and 33% off Baby Boomers already do so
- 79% of millennials are more willing to splurge on their pets than themselves as well as 50% of Baby boomers
- In 2017, $70 billion was spent on pets in the United States alone
When reality calls, our pets may need to stay at home alone for hours on end. When the busy schedule of a typical American goes on long enough, chronic loneliness in pets can set in and with it comes a host of risks and concerns.
Without their person home with them, pets are not encouraged to get up off the couch. They may end up snoozing their day away and grazing on their food bowl instead. Cats and dogs home alone are often at higher risk for obesity and the complications that follow can mean more health risks and even a shortened lifespan.
Rescue pets, in particular, may have discomfort from separation anxiety and show it with destructive behavior or aggression. Addressing this issue, intuitive pieces of pet tech have flooded the market to make this distance more bearable for both pet and parent.
- Cleverpet Dog Gaming console – Yes, you read that right. It’s a gaming console made specifically for your dog. This innovation of pet entertainment is exceptionally engaging for dogs, keeping them busy whilst home alone.
- The FroliCat Bolt is every cat’s dream, no matter how lazy they are. The alluring charm of a laser pointer helps cats get the exercise they need even when you’re not home to press the button
- Furbo Dog Camera, not necessarily just for dogs, creates a futuristic digital link between you at work and your pets at home. Check in on them with a two-way camera, get alerts for excessive barking, and deliver a treat from the automatic dispenser within the device itself.
Today, treating our pets means more than just a new bone or chew toy. With the help of pet tech, we are giving our pets more than we ever have before. And the result?
A closer bond between man and his best friend. This infographic details the growing industry of pet tech and the best gadgets to get your hands (and paws) on.
Petxp Pet tech:
