Americans’ spending is seeing lots of puppy love, plus a nod to cool cats. Pet-related purchases are supporting businesses across the economy as retail sales continue to grow, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce’s latest report. The category that includes pet stores saw the largest jump of 4% between August and September.¹

The majority of Americans own a pet (63%),² and an Empower study found that people spent an average of $1,355 on their pets in the past year.

Passion for pets

Nearly all pet owners (95%) think of their pets as members of their family, and 71% want to spoil their animals, according to Empower findings. Pet companies are seeing this spending trend play out in real time.

Online pet-supply store Chewy saw its stock jump 14% after reporting earnings in August, with customers spending a record $565 each.³ Empower research revealed that 33% of pet owners buy more things for their pets than themselves. Just one month after Chewy’s earnings announcement, shares of fellow pet retailer Petco popped 33% after getting attention from a meme-stock influencer.⁴

America’s love for pets goes beyond spending money – the desire to spend time with animals has grown an appetite for cat cafes. These experiences often pair drinks and treats, along with owners and adoptees. After six years in business, a cat café in Connecticut marked its 1,000th adoption in October.⁵

Pets can bring new meaning to the way people celebrate, too, with around half of owners throwing “pawties” to mark their birthdays.⁶ Empower data found that Americans spend an average of $24 on their pets for birthdays and holidays. 

Travel companions

According to another Empower study, 90% of Americans planned to travel domestically in 2024, so there could be more pets along for the ride.

More than 20% of cat and dog owners have taken their animals on at least three flights during the past year, and airlines in the U.S. typically charge around $95-$150 for a pet to fly in the cabin alongside their human.² For a more discerning pup (or owner), there’s even a dog-centric airline featuring private planes for a first-class experience. 

Owners’ travel needs don’t stop once paws are on the ground. Review site Yelp has seen an uptick in searches using the “dogs allowed” filter, a bump of nearly 60% between May 2022 and May 2023.⁷ Pet-specific apps can help people navigate accessible hotels and restaurants; the BringFido app has been connecting owners to nearby pet-friendly places for 16 years.⁸

A connection to nature

Animals beyond dogs and cats are making bigger names for themselves as well, with baby pygmy hippo Moo Deng boosting zoo turnout in Thailand,⁹ and oversized king penguin chick Pesto stretching his star power across social media.¹⁰

Washington, D.C.’s National Zoo doesn’t charge for admission, though giant pandas that the zoo has hosted since 1972 regularly drive business. Panda-related goods account for close to a third of the zoo’s revenue, with panda plushies making up half the amount.¹¹ Since 2011, panda lovers have also been able to watch the bears’ growth from afar via the zoo’s live-streaming Panda Cam, which has seen over 100 million pageviews.¹² After a brief break of hosting pandas in D.C., a new pair arrived in the nation’s capital in late October, prepping for their public debut in January 2025.¹³

Sharing space with animals has also been working well for the Minnesota Zoo, which recently set an annual record of 1.5 million visitors.¹⁴ Zoo officials cite the Treetop Trail, a new 1.25-mile elevated walking path, for the outsized attendance. Around $39 million was spent to revamp an old monorail into the pathway, which allows people to view turtles, horses and bison from 32 feet above.

Reaching new audiences  

Bringing the animal kingdom to the screen has also been a focus for many businesses looking to build brands.

Fast food’s Chick-Fil-A is placing its cow mascots further in the spotlight on its new entertainment service, Play. The chain drove $21.6 billion in sales in 2023,¹⁵ and will offer the app for free.¹⁶ The family-friendly programming will include animated series featuring the famous cows, along with games and podcasts.

More screen time can mean big money for Super Bowl advertisers, who paid an average of $7 million for just 30 seconds during February’s game.¹⁷ Many brands have stuck with the tried-and-true tactic of including man’s best friend – close to a third of the Super Bowl ads that have recently won the USA Today Ad Meter have centered around dogs.¹⁸

Whether bringing comfort as family members or brand ambassadors, animals have a home with both America’s consumers and businesses.