Pet economy: not only food, also policies and care drive

For several years now, in our country and elsewhere, the demographic decline (in Italia it would be better to speak of glaciation) has been countered by the growth of pets, which for brevity's sake we increasingly refer to as pets. Not only dogs and cats (which, moreover, grew by another million in Italia in 2025), but small and medium-sized rodents - from hamsters to domestic rats, from Peruvian guinea pigs to rabbits -, birds, reptiles and fish. While the population of bipeds has dropped below 60 million, that of pets in Italia is estimated at 65, according to data from the latest Assalco-Zoomark report, published in May 2025 on the occasion of the biennial trade fair held in Bologna, Zoomark. The data collected by the sector association document the evolution of the pet food and pet care market in Italia, offering an up-to-date snapshot of the importance of pets in families and society.

The main expense remains food, of course, as it is for us humans: in 2024 (the reference year for the report presented in 2025), products for feeding dogs and cats - the main segment of the pet food and pet care market - developed a turnover in our country that exceeded 3.1 billion, with an increase in value of 3.7% compared to the previous year. A trend that started some time ago: the average growth rate (Cagr) from 2021 to 2024 in value terms was 9.8%, taking the market from 2.4 billion in 2021 to 3.1 billion in 2024.

The articles on the page confirm that the increase in the number of pets in households is matched by a growth in the offer of specialised chains, where food, accessories and products for daily or seasonal care - bedding and antiparasitic collars in primis - can be found. Specialised companies such as Purina and Royal Canin have invested heavily in research, churning out products for dogs and cats that have improved and extended their lives. Just as with humans, new forms of care are therefore needed. Hence the growth of partnerships of pet food chains with veterinary clinics, another sector in great evolution. Traditionally linked to the formula of small or medium-sized veterinary clinics, Italia is catching up with other European countries, with specialised chains such as Anicura, Animalia and Ca' Zampa. The insurance segment is evolving strongly: alongside the more widespread and necessary insurance policies for owners of large dogs, the offer of health policies is multiplying. While waiting, of course, for the deductibility ceiling for pet expenses to be raised and for VAT on drugs and treatments to be lowered, as associations, specialists and, of course, pet parents have been asking for years.