Italy's population is steadily decreasing, but there is a parallel animal population coexisting with humans that is growing rapidly instead. Euromonitor study center estimated its presence at nearly 65 million, which is more than the number of humans (59 million). Almost 19 million are dogs and cats, with the latter now permanently numbering more than 10 million. Italian household aquariums are populated by nearly 30 million fish. Euromonitor also estimated 12.9 million ornamental birds, while small mammals and reptiles are estimated at 1.8 and 1.4 million, respectively. In Italy animal presence has long since lost the merely instrumental character it often had in the peasant and poor Italy of the past, in which essentially animals were not an affective investment but only a means of producing some domestic utility (keeping watch, hunting mice, producing eggs and so on). The second consideration is quantitative: the Eurispes Report 2022 shows that the pandemic has clearly affected Italians' propensity to adopt a pet. In fact, 37.7 percent of Italians aged 18 and older say they have an animal in the family, with a significant increase even compared to recent years: Moreover, a Doxa survey conducted in 2022 found that 42% of Italian households own one or more pets. In detail, 28% of households own at least one dog and 22% own at least one cat. As a result, the sale of industrial pet food and accessories (hygiene products, pesticides, toys, bedding, leashes, aviaries, aquariums, and so on) is growing. After all, according to Eurispes, 60 percent of pet owners spend from 31 to 100 euros per month on their guests. Business volumes and incomes of veterinarians are also growing.
|