Pawty Time

 Every dog has its day but so do cats, rabbits, parrots, hamsters and guinea pigs, according to new research which reveals that Britons are spending big on their pets' birthdays.

Dog and Mallard
Richard Ansdell (1815-1885)
Photo Credit: Fylde Council Town Hall. [CC BY-NC-ND] 

Almost two thirds of Britain's 22 million pet owners celebrate their animal's birthday or adoption day, the study found, spending an average of £121 to reach a combined £1.7 billion.

The research found that new toys and gourmet food were the most popular presents, chosen by two thirds of owners, followed by a new bed or blanket. Half of owners bought a new collar, leash or other practical gift, and a similar proportion bought a personalised gift.

Owners can, for example, have their cat's picture printed on a plush grey cushion for £25.95 or have their dog's face on a four-piece coaster set for £14.95. Those happy to pay a bit more can buy a custom portrait of their pet in military dress for £65.99 or a dog DNA kit for £104.99...

But many owners do not stop at presents. Half have thrown their pets a party, including 83 per cent in Generation Z and 79 per cent of millennial owners. For those over-55 t he figure is 39 per cent.

One younger pet owner who threw an elaborate first birthday party for her miniature dachshund is Tuscany Wilson. "My dog is like my child and I knew since the day I got her that I wanted to throw a birthday party for her."... In total, Wilson spent nearly £400, inviting her dog-owning friends to her  house for the party.

Some celebrities spare no expense on pets' birthdays. The Formula 1 champion Sir Lewis Hamilton, for example threw his bulldog Roscoe a party fit for a human, complete with party hats, dog guest-list and a personalised dairy-free cake; Roscoe follows a vegan diet.

Even after the death of the fashion designer Karl Lagerfield in 2019 his cherished cat Choupette continues to enjoy extravagant celebrations: her 11th birthday was marked with a party on a private jet...

The research found that one in eight people who threw a party for their pet did so specifically to create content for their social media...

(Andrew Elison, The Times, 2025)

Presents, parties, pictures for pets. 

Huge celebration on private jets.

Paw-print clay mould, photo frame kit

Vegan diet, dog cake - SIT!

Britain spends around £1.7 billion a year - the cost of a clutch  of new hospitals or the repair of every pothole in the country - on pampering its pets...

The soppiest owners are not the old biddies who start to resemble their faithful pets. More than three quarters of Generation Z or millennial pet owners admit holding birthday parties for their pooches...

Are we seeing the infantalisation of society? Misplaced anthropomorphism? Maybe it is the combination of money, privilege and the apotheosis of rampant materialism that also leads to the setting-up of elite nursery schools where the little dears are fed organic granola topped with caramelised bananas and mascarpone. But please, let dogs be dogs, to sniff and bark without party hats.

(Times Editorial, 2025)

A Cat in 'Gothic' Style
Louis Wain  (1860-1939)
Photo Credit: Wellcome Collection  [Public Domain]

Yes, a hundred and twenty-one pounds. On an animal. God in Heaven, what is wrong with you people? I thought there was a cost of living crisis.

I love my cat Iris... I feed and water her. I flea and worm her. I play with her. I brush her long fluffy hair to get the knots and burrs out, and she takes her afternoon nap on my face around 2pm...

But I don't celebrate her birthday. Any more than I expect  her to help load the dishwasher or get a Saturday job when she turns 16.

And I sure as heck don't buy her presents, despite the generous chunks of  mouse she brings me every morning in bed...

I know most of you have pets. The Times is the newspaper of dog owners, after all. Which means that around two-thirds of you are reading this  and thinking, "ooh that reminds me, I must get Fido's suit back from the dry cleaners and tell Claridge's that he is gluten free for Tuesday". And that's fine.

But if any of you ever say a single bloody word again about the prohibitive cost of some restaurant I have just reviewed, I am out of here.

(Giles Coren, The Times, 2025)

For more on this subject see "Pets" June 8th 2021

 

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