Animal study – We Austrians live in a “cat country”!

A cat lives in around 28 percent of all Austrian households – more than ever before. This is evident from the current research into the pet population by the Austrian Pet Food Association (ÖHTV) and the Austrian Pet Shop.

It is also noticeable that our four-legged friends are getting older. The proportion of dogs and cats over ten years old has increased steadily over the past five years. “This is thanks to a good, balanced diet combined with very good medical care,” says ÖHTV chairman Hermann Habe.

Dogs, cats, mice
But it doesn’t always have to be a cat or a dog, which ended up at number two in the domestic charts with 836,000 representations as ‘man’s best friend’. 14 percent of households (about 544,000) have other pets, such as rabbits, turtles, ornamental fish or birds. This number has decreased slightly by two percent since 2022. In approximately 146,000 households, dogs and cats live peacefully together, of which approximately 77,000 households also have other pets. “This shows that dogs and cats can get along very well in many cases,” Habe smiles.

Pets as an economic factor
Our favorites are also an important economic factor. The Austrian pet market generates over a billion euros annually in food, toys and accessories. Interesting: experiments with plant-based raw materials are also increasing in animal nutrition! Vegan dog food is trendy, but for cats this is not nutritionally possible.