Millennials Treat Pets Like Their ‘First Born Baby’

There are a number of things that define the millennial generation, but perhaps the most significant societal shift is the approach to adulthood - not being able to afford a house, not being able to afford a pension and not having kids have had a significant impact.

Oh yeah, and then there's the obsession with dogs.

Merging those two last points together, a new study has discovered that Generation Y treat pets as if they're their first born children - and they're more than willing to splash the cash on their furry friends in the same way they would if they had a kid.

According to recent figures published by The Sun, the birth rate in the UK is down 2.5 per cent and is at its lowest since 2006.

On the other side of the coin, analysts over at Neilson discovered that yearly household spending on pet food among pet owners increased by 36 per cent between 2007 and 2017 - and many of those buying are young people who are feeding their pets higher-quality premium food.

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The report states: "Share gains among pet care products with natural claims are on pace with those in the baby care and personal care categories.

"And just like we're seeing in personal care, beauty and food categories, consumers are seeking pet care products that don't include certain ingredients...

"In dog food, for example, Americans are seeking foods that don't include ingredients like GMOs (genetically modified organisms), corn, fillers, artificial colours and preservatives."

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But we don't even need a study to tell us this - just look at all the puppy pamper and kitten care products available on the market today.

You can now buy special wine for your cat, take your doggo to yoga classes or transform your pet into the latest viral sensation.

Some people have even started building luxury houses for their pampered pooch.

And fair play to them. Now, I don't want to anger all the parents out there, but I'm going to go right ahead and say that puppies are cuter than babies.

They're fluffy, bug-eyed, wet-nosed glorious creatures that will love you not matter what (and they don't scream and puke every two seconds). Kittens are pretty damn cute too. And hamsters. And guinea pigs.

What with the lack of financial security compared to previous generations, it makes a lotta sense that people are switching the cot for the kennel. Will this spell disaster for the future of the human race? Probably not, but even if it did, a world dominated by doggos can't be a bad thing.

Topics: Study, Children, Kids, Pets, Babies, Community, Cats, Dogs, Puppies

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Daisy is a UK-based freelance journalist with too many opinions. She loves everything film and music-related and has a track record writing for Little White Lies, BWRC, and Film Daily. Contact her at [email protected]