Cat ownership increase in men, says survey
06 April 2017
While cats have long been a favoured pet of choice for many, a survey suggests that there are now more men that are cat owners than ever before.
The Pet Food Manufacturer’s Association said the number of pet cats in the UK has gone up by 500,000 to reach eight million in the past year. The rise was driven by one million more men getting a cat, says the PFMA.
According to the survey, about 17% of men in the UK (5.5million) now own a cat, up from 13% (4.2m) in 2016.
It is though that the rise in cat ownership among young males is due to male celebrities showing their passion for felines.
Cats Protection’s Social Media Manager, Gemma Croker, said: “Cats have always been on social media but we have definitely noticed more men openly expressing their love for their feline friends.
We now see more male celebrities talking about their cats, such as our supporter The Vamps’ James Mcvey, Ed Sheeran and Russell Brand. It is possible that this trend may have triggered an increase in popularity for cats among the general male population, which is great news for rehoming cats.”