Pleasing 4 Pets

Popular pet retailer Pets at Home, the country’s largest retailer in pet care has confirmed its intention to go ahead with its planned investment programme, despite the fact that the UK economy is officially in recession.

The record investment plan comes as UK consumers maintain spending on treats and luxury items for their pets in Pets at Homes 220 outlets, even though they continue to cut back on similar items for themselves.

Matt Davies, Chief Executive of Cheshire based Pets at Home, confirmed that there were no plans to slow down the £21million expansion programme of its stores, which include refurbishments at existing store, plans for a Pets at Home Superstore in Stockport, 10 additional new branches before the end of 2008 and the opening of a further 20 outlets in 2009.

Revenue for the stores is predicted to reach almost £400million by the close of the year ending March 2009, an increase of £354.6million on the previous year’s figures.

Mr Davies commented:-

“We are not slowing down our expansion programme.

We believe pets to be a particularly resilient sector. People look on their pet as a member of their household and they are right up there as a priority. People recognise the joy that flows from having a pet as part of the family.”

As loving pet owners most of us recognise that the care and maintenance of our adored animals costs money.

And as articles revealing a growing number of pets being abandoned by their cash-strapped owners seem to be on the increase in the media, the news that a global leader in pet insurance has confirmed a significant increase in the numbers of responsible pet owners taking out insurance policies on their domestic animals has been met by animal lovers across the world with much relief.

Allianz UK confirmed that its Petplan venture had taken £200million in the last year alone in pet insurance premiums, whilst awarding claims of more than £1million per week. Petplan is a specialist in insurance for domestic pets, and was one of the earliest pet insurers to enter the UK market more than 30 years ago.

The company revealed that their move to make pet insurance available online has encouraged major growth in the pet insurance industry overall.

So it s seems that in increasingly a difficult economic situation, we are still prepared to spend our hard earned cash on our pets.

A leading retailer of pet products and accessories, Pets At Home also confirmed that its revenue has risen twofold over the last 12 months, with much of its income gained from the growing success of its organic pet food produce.

Their commercial director commented recently:-

“People spend more money than ever on their pets, whether that is on better quality food, healthcare, insurance, accessories and even fashion.”

A recent survey by the Post Office has revealed that the majority of women - almost two thirds in fact would opt to take out an insurance policy for their beloved cats and dogs ahead of their partners.

The study confirmed that most women are more concerned about the health and wellbeing of their domestic pets than that of their spouse. It also revealed the drastic measures that pet owners in the UK would be prepared to take in order to keep their much loved pets in perfect health.

32% admitted that they would be prepared to put costly personal belongings up for sale to cover the cost of pricey charges from their veterinary surgery.

In addition to this 11% of 1,994 pet owners surveyed claimed that they would consider re-mortgaging their homes even in the face of increasing economic decline, whilst 33% said that they declared that they would take out a bank loan to cover their pets medical expenses more willingly than they would to fund their children’s leisure activities.

The gravest fears that pet owners stated that they had for their pets were that they would be involved in a road traffic accident or that they would be stolen.

Surprisingly only 2% admitted to having concerns over their pets’ weight, in spite of the latest figures released by the RSPCA estimating that almost 50% of UK domestic pets were obese.

There has been a spate of articles in the news recently reporting an increase in the number of people keeping reptiles and amphibians as pets from lizards and snakes to salamanders and newts.

Reptiles and amphibians are both intriguing and enchanting animals and are amazingly diverse when it comes to adapting to new environments. Subsequently they have demanding and precise guardianship requirements too, which when they are adopted as pets without due care and consideration, often on impulse can unfortunately result in suffering and distress for such animals.

The vast majority of reptiles and amphibians are quite often inhibited and will be apprehensive around strangers, mainly due to the fact that in their natural habitat they can be vulnerable to attack from predators. For this reason excessive and unnecessary human contact can have a negative impact on a reptile’s wellbeing.

A lot of reptiles depend on external sources of heat and will also necessitate access to UV-B light in order to manage their intake of vitamin D, ensuring strong bones and good overall health. This is not always recognised, particularly in inexpert reptile owners and unfortunately as a result skeletal disorders are frequent amongst captive reptiles and amphibians.

Before taking a reptile or amphibian as a pet you should consider your decision thoroughly, bearing in mind that in order to care for such a pet appropriately you will likely have to do a vast amount of study into the supervision and care of your chosen pet, in addition to acquiring and maintaining any equipment essential to keep it happy and healthy.

You should also take into account that your local veterinary surgery may not have a comprehensive understanding of reptile or amphibian health and wellbeing, so you should endeavour to locate a specialist veterinary surgery before reaching your final decision.

When you are busy planning for a holiday or preparing to spend a weekend away from home, it’s all too easy to forget about the welfare of your feline friend whilst you are aware. As part of your preparation for any trip you should take into consideration your cat’s requirements, and should try wherever possible to plan your pets care in advance.

One of the most obvious ways to ensure that your cat is cared for appropriately in your absence is to board him at a cattery for the duration of your trip. Your vet should be able to recommend a local cattery with a good reputation and professional pet insurance. You should bear in mind that responsible catteries will require confirmation that your cat is up to date with his vaccinations, so remember to have your cats most recent inoculation certificate to hand when making a reservation.

Friends or family may offer to look after your cat whilst you take a trip, but should always ensure that they are fully aware of what is involved in providing adequate care for a pet. You should take into consideration whether your cat will be accepted and welcomed by all members of their families, including any existing pets that they might have.

Cat may often be more contented and at ease if they stay at your home whilst you are away, but you should ensure that a responsible friend or dependable neighbour visits your home a minimum of twice daily to feed him and give him clean water. You should always remember to leave a telephone number for your vet and a contact number where the carer for your cat can reach you in case of an emergency.

Current unstable economic conditions are putting pressure on most family budgets at the moment. The recent and dramatic upturns in petrol, grocery and energy prices have done little to alleviate this pressure.

With families everywhere more aware of their budgets than ever before, many are looking to cut costs in all areas of their outgoings. But is it possible to cut down on pet care costs too?

There are a number of ways that you can make an effort to control your expenditure in this area.

• Try grooming your pet at home. Aim to begin by brushing both your animal companions’ hair and teeth where possible, on a regular basis. If you are careful you can even attempt to trim down their nails. Remember that the more often you do this, the more used to this type of handling they’ll become. This could help cut down on grooming bills and even dental costs. In the long term these actions can be considered as a form of preventative maintenance for your pet.

• Consider purchasing your pet provisions in bulk quantities if you can. Many supermarkets and pet shops offer good deals on quality brands in multi-packs and bulk buys.

• Shop around for a veterinary practice which offers good value for money. Fees vary widely between different veterinary practices. There are a great number of experienced and skilled vets in the UK who will provide expert services for reasonable cost. Be open and honest with your vet when discussing treatment for your pet and determine for yourself which vet is most suited to you and individual economic circumstances.

• Make the most of three-year immunisations where possible. Many animal vaccines are now offered in discounted three year doses. Your vet should be able to advise you which vaccinations are available in these extended doses.