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