UK pet owners are head over paws in love: top pet Valentine’s Day spending trends for 2024

UK pet owners are a lovey-dovey lot. Our survey found that 30.4% of pet owners have bought their pet a Valentine’s Day gift in the past - that’s almost a third of the population. Consider that a 2023 GroupOn survey found that 63% of UK consumers spend money on gifts for their human partners, and it’s clear how enamoured we are for our animals.

So, what do we know about the people who go all Lady and the Tramp on Valentine’s Day? Our survey found people in the 25-34 age group were most likely to buy their pet a Valentine’s Day gift - just under half (49.04%) do so. Men were also more likely to buy their pets a gift on 14th February than women (34.81% vs 26.84%). You old romantics!

People right across the country purchase pet presents for St Valentine’s, but owners in Greater London are most likely to be in puppy love - 48.32% plan to do so. Belfast comes in second, with 39% buying their pet something special, and the West Midlands region comes third (34.95%).

Some pet owners are risking spending Valentine’s Day in the dog’s house, though. Only 21.38% of people in the South East and 26.97% of Scottish pet owners planned to buy a Valentine’s gift for an animal. Perhaps our hearts harden as we get older - only 13.78% of people aged 55 and above bought their pets gifts on this most romantic of all days.

 

Dogs are most likely to get special treats on Valentine’s Day - 33.74% of pooch parents buy their trusty hounds a gift, while our cats are also feline the love, with 27.95% of owners buying them a pressie (presumably reciprocating for all those half-dead mice they keep bringing in). It’s lovebirds for our feathered friends - a quarter of fowl can expect a gift, while just over a fifth (21%) of rabbit owners buy thumper Valentine’s pet gifts.

February 14th isn’t a good day to be a fish. Less than 10% of our scaled friends can expect anything special. On the plus side, they’ll forget in three seconds’ time anyway.

Love doesn’t cost a thing. Still, it’s always nice to shower that someone (or something) special with a treat or two. But how much do people spend on their pets for Valentine’s Day 2024?

Our results show that most people who buy Valentine’s Day gifts for their pets are spending between £10 and £25 - 57.14% of pet owners fall into this bracket. Around a quarter spent under £10, and 15% have spent between £26 and £50. Only a tiny proportion (1.63%) have spent more than £50.

Men are likely to spend more money on their Valentine’s Day pet gift - just over 20% of men have spent between £26 and £50, whereas 9.63% of women have done the same.

Pet owners in Greater London, followed by those in the West and East Midlands, spend the most on their pets on February 14th, whereas those in the South East and South West tend to spend less.

A bouquet of roses is the classic gift for a human sweetheart on February 14th. But unless you keep flower-eating beatles, that’s probably not the best choice for a pet. We asked owners what gifts they will likely buy their animal companion on Valentine’s Day.

Just like humans, the best way to an animal’s heart is through its stomach. Food and treats were the gift of choice - 85.93% buy them for their pets. Toys come in second, with 76.02% of people purchasing them for a pet. Bedding is always a thoughtful choice - 44.66% buy it for their pets on Valentine’s Day, while just over a quarter (26.10%) purchase clothing.

At different life stages, we buy our pets different sorts of Valentine’s Day gifts. That showed up in our survey results:

●      16-24 year olds are most likely to buy toys (82.67%), whereas 35-44 year olds are least likely (68.93%)

●      Over 55s are most likely to buy both food/treats (88.01%) and bedding (45.66%). 25-34 year olds are least likely to buy food/treats (80.29%), and 16-24 year olds are least likely to buy pet bedding (41.33%)

●      The most stylish pets will belong to those aged 25-34 with 33.65% planning to buy their pet clothes or accessories. Those over age 55 are less bothered with this, with only 21.43% spending in this area

Amazingly, 3.13% of our survey respondents claimed they’d bought their fish clothing as a Valentine’s Day present. Something fishy about that!

 

With millions of UK pet owners planning to buy gifts for their dogs, cats, rabbits, rodents, horses, serpents, birds and fish this year, Jollyes has the nation’s star-crossed pet lovers covered. With a wide range of dog treats, dog toys, dog bedding and dog clothes to keep your pooch happy. Not our cat treats, cat toys and cat bedding to please even the fussiest of felines. Plus more for all kinds of creatures, we’ve got everything you need for a purrrfect present to make your pets howl with delight.