Future Pets: Millennials and Pets
Are Your Fur-Kids Your Baby?

Our relationship with our animal companions may be changing. They are no longer mere ‘pets’. Instead they have become ‘fur-kids’, with millennials giving more importance to their pets than any generation before. Read on…

Future Pets: Millennials and Pets. A review of Gen Y young adults and their relationship with companion animals

Who are Millennials?

Millennials, sometimes known as Gen Ys, were born between the early 1980s and the late 1990s. Generally, they differ from previous generations by their familiarity and use of communications, media and digital technologies. On the negative side, however, they often start their working lives with debt and, due to this and increasing property values, are less likely to be homeowners, car owners or to be parents, when compared to previous generations.

What are the Millennials’ Pets?

Millennials have all sorts of pets. Together with the previous generation, Gen X, they are more likely to have birds, fish, reptiles, rabbits and other small pets than previous generations.

They still love cats and dogs. In fact, they love them more than their older cohorts or their parents, the Baby Boomers. They are now the largest segment of pet owners. In the U.S., three-quarters of Americans in the 30s have dogs and half have cats. Compare this to the entire population (Table 1) and you see how popular these traditional pets are in this generation.

While small dogs were having boom time over the previous 10 years, now medium dogs are becoming more popular. And while we often think of pets as being more human female-oriented pursuits, men are catching up with women in pet-owning numbers.

And yes, Millennial men like cats!

The importance of pets to Millennials

Millennials are half as likely to be living with a partner as they were 50 years ago. So, pets become even more important to these 20-40 year olds.

And while most cannot afford to buy a home of their own, a third of millennials who had already purchased their first home said they were influenced by the need to have space – for their dog!

Human babies cost a lot, so pets may be a money-saving bonus when saving for a home. Pets can also be left at home while you work or go shopping.

Many Millennials, however, do not intend to ever have a human child. Their pet is their “fur-child”. For those who still intend to have babies one day, their pet is seen as a “practice” for the real thing. As many as 44% of Millennials in the USA think this way.

Pets are an important emotional part of the Millennials’ life. Not only are pets their fur child but Millennials often regard their animal companions as their best friends and their confidants too.