by Michele D. Baker, editor
As I write the April column, I have plenty of help from my black and white cat Henri, currently trying to fit his 13 lb. body into a shallow box. Despite the fact that he is hanging out over every edge, he’s asleep and snoring.
This happy fact made me wonder about others and their pets, so I looked up some statistics on pet ownership in Florida. Turns out of the 22.2 million people in Florida, 56% (12.5 million people) own a pet. This doesn’t accurately reflect the number of pets, as many people of course have more than one dog, or a dog and a cat, or a dog and a cat and a bird.
It further turns out that two of the top three “pet friendly US cities” are in the Lifestyles After 50 readership area: Tampa and St. Pete. So clearly Floridians love their pets.
Floridians love their pets so much that they spend $9.1 billion per year on pet food, veterinarian visits, toys, treats, and other pet-related expenses. This averages to about $1,900 per household per year, which doesn’t seem all that much… until you consider that Floridians spend about $1,800 per year on electricity, $1,300 per year on internet/cable, and just $700 per year to bring clean tap water into their homes.
Related: Editorial: Spring, St. Patrick, & Delicious Reubens
The most popular pet is a dog, with 40% of Floridians owning at least one. Just about one in every four Floridians owns a cat (or should I say, “lives in a household with a cat,” since we all know that it’s really the cat who’s in charge). Birds, fish and reptiles are also popular pets.
I’m not sure why others have pets, but I can tell you with certainty why I do. I’ve had cats since I was a little girl, and the house just seems empty without one (or two, or four). When I come home with the groceries, Henri is waiting at the door to meow “hello.” He sleeps in bed with me, curled up and putting out heat like a tiny black and white space heater. He’s another living creature in an otherwise-empty house.
But most of all, I love him. Watching him groom himself, or stretch, or sleep makes me happy. His purr brings a smile to my face. He brings me joy. And what could be more amazing than that?
Wishing you smiling dogs and purring cats,
