When people say they don’t have room to swing a cat nowadays, they probably aren’t joking.
Pets are falling out of fashion as houses and flats become smaller. In addition, more people are renting their homes from landlords who ban animals.
Financial strains have also led to couples marrying and having children later in life, squeezing out the time and money needed to look after an animal.
When people say they don’t have room to swing a cat nowadays, they probably aren’t joking as a new study finds pet ownership in the UK is rapidly falling
The news comes from the retail analysis firm Mintel, which suggests the decline is bad news for the nation’s well-being.
Mintel found that ownership of all types of pets has fallen in the past five years. It carried out a survey that found owning a pet is fun, relaxing and comforting.
Having a dog even boosts your health because of all the walks in needs.
Fish ownership has taken the biggest dive, down from 17 per cent of British households to just 10 per cent.
The figure for small mammals, such as hamsters and guinea pigs, is down from 10 per cent to 7 per cent since 2012.
Over the same period dog ownership is down 33 per cent to 31 per cent, while the figure for cats has dropped from 31 per cent to 29 per cent. Generally, owning a pet is associated with families and children. Three in four households with children under 16 have a pet, but this falls to one in three pensioner households.
Small spaces: Research suggests less people are making the decision to get pets due to compact accommodation
Emma Clifford, from Mintel, said: ‘Shrinking household sizes and the trend of consumers starting their families later in life are all having a negative effect on pet ownership.
‘Additionally, the shift towards privately rented accommodation continues to put downward pressure on pet ownership. Long-term, the growing population of over-55s present an ongoing challenge to the pet industry.’
Mintel confirmed a gender divide on dogs and cats with men favouring dogs and women liking to curl up with a cat.
Some 33per cent of men have a dog, versus 27per cent of women and dogs. On cats, 32per cent of women have one compared to 29per cent of men.
Mintel said: ‘Pet ownership does have a positive effect on the owner. Over half say their pets make them feel happy, loved, relaxed and comforted.
‘Meanwhile, 30per cent of dog owners say their pet makes them feel healthy.’
Some 33per cent of men have a dog, versus 27per cent of women and dogs. On cats, 32per cent of women have one compared to 29per cent of men
Some seven in ten dog owners say they would like to take their pets everywhere they go. And 45per cent take the view that allowing animals in the office would make it a better place to work.
Mintel suggested that there is a future for exercise classes that allow people and their dogs to work out together.
Miss Clifford said: ‘Obesity is a widespread and worsening problem for both humans and pets.
‘Weight loss and exercise regimes that work for owners and pets alike therefore seem logical. Cultivating a sense of being ‘in it together’ to improve the health of both consumers and their pets could help strengthen resolve to keep up such efforts.
‘Such activities can further build on the associations owners have between their pets and feeling healthy themselves.
‘In an increasingly atomised and transient population, these activities also give pet owners the chance to build their social circles, meeting other dog owners with similar health-oriented goals.’