Naughty pets cost owners £4bn a year

Tuesday September 6th 2016

The average pet owner spends around £200 a year replacing or fixing items their beloved animals have ruined, according to new research.

A survey shows cat lovers face the worst fees, spending a total of £47 million more than dog owners.

Pet owners spend a total of around £4 billion every year buying new items to replace those their naughty animals destroy.

A quarter of the total goes on replacing or cleaning ripped or soiled sofas and cushions, followed by £140 million on ruined carpets and £104 million on damaged shoes, according to Frontline Plus, the flea and tick treatment company that carried out the survey.

While 80% of the nation's 20 million pet owners allow their animals on the sofa, just 42% clean the furniture twice a year, the research also finds.

Brock Abreu, brand manager of Frontline Plus, said: 'It seems that UK pet owners love their pets so much they will forgive them anything.

"They spend billions each year replacing items that animals have used as a chew toy."

Copyright Press Association 2016