Shopping for the Holiday Season? Don't Forget About Your Pets

 
It's holiday season again and as you shop for gifts for your family, friends and love ones, don't forget about your pets. Pet owners in the U.S. love buying stuff for their pets. In 2015, pet owners spent $60.28 billion on their pets. This year that number's expected to jump to $62.75 billion. However, majority of that went to food and health care but still the numbers for treats and presents are significant.

In a survey by the American Pet Products Association, an industry trade group shows that there are about 85.8 million cats are being kept as pets in the U.S. and 77.8 million dogs. The most popular pet in household are freshwater fish with about 95.5 million. A total of 65% of U.S. households own a pet. And this holiday season, more than 50% of dog owners and 38% of cat owners plan to buy their pets gifts, according to them.

Here are some great buys for your pets:

1. Furbo pet feeder - it's a robot nanny for your pets, it can chat with them through a two-way microphone/speaker combo. It also send an alert to the owner if the dog starts barking. It can also toss a treat to your dog and play a game of fetch from anywhere.

- Interactive treat tossing: Treat your dog from anywhere with the swipe of a button on the free Furbo iOS/Android app
- HD live video streaming: 120° wide-angle camera with 720p HD, 4x digital zoom and night vision for a super clear look at your dog
- Two way audio: Crisp, built-in microphone and speaker so you can hear them and they can hear you
- Barking alert: Furbo senses when your dog is barking and sends a push notification to your smartphone
- Take photos & videos: Capture special moments to save or share with friends and family

 

Furbo Dog Camera: HD Wifi Cam, 2-Way Audio, and Treat Tossing $186.00


2. Nerf Dog Tennis Ball Blaster - this is a new fun way to play fetch with your dog! It can shoot a ball up to 50 feet in the air. It also uses special softer balls to reduce the risk of injury and it has a safety release mechanism.


Nerf Dog Tennis Ball Blaster $24.99




3. Dogtra iQPet StarWalk - fitness monitor for dogs that tracks their activity. It monitors your pet's total steps, calories burned, active time, activity type, distance traveled and temperature. It's similar to Fitbit for humans.


Dogtra iQ Pet by StarWalk Dog Activity Tracker $49.49



4. PetNet Smart Feeder - this is a pretty amazing products specially if you occassioally leave your pet alone at home, it make sure that they'll never go hungry. It also measures portions based on a pet's age, activity level and weight. You can rest assured that no matter how hectic your life gets, they're always getting the food they need. It is programmable to schedule up to 12 meals a day with flexible meal portions from 1/8 cup up to 4 cups. It has removable stainless steel bowl which is more hygienic for your pet than a plastic bowl.

PetSafe Healthy Pet Simply Feed Automatic Feeder $129.95


5. Petsafe self-cleaning litter box - are you tired of scooping cat litter? Yes, it's really awful cleaning after your cats so why not make things easier with this self-cleaning litter box. The crystal litter absorbs urine and dehydrates waste to instantly remove odors. It has a disposable leak-proof tray with lid for quick, hygienic cleanup.

ScoopFree Ultra Self-Cleaning Litter Box $129.99



6. Kat Pak disposable litter box - If you don't want to spend too much for a self-cleaning litter box then this is a good option. It is made from recycled paper, it's lightweight, water resistant and strong. You don't need to clean it up just throw it in the garbage and replace.

Kat Pack The Eco Friendly Biodegradable Travel Cat Litter Box, 4 Pack $30.52

7. K&H Self-Warming Pet Cot - your furry friends will love to curl up and take a nap on this self-warming pet cot. The self-warming center requires no electricity.

K&H Manufacturing Self-Warming Pet Cot Medium Choc/Fleece 25-Inch by 32-Inch $39.99

People in the US are spending more on pets care

American spending on pet's health care are rising, according to a recent study from the National Bureau of Economic Research. According to the study, the U.S. health-care system is “uniquely inefficient” since it is plagued by high costs and poor health outcomes compared to other developed countries.

Although there are plenty of reasons why this might be, they write, it’s often blamed on an insurance industry that shields customers from decisions about costs, and government regulation and reimbursement that give the industry little reason to make itself more efficient.

The study found that spending cost on pet purchases, medical supplies and veterinary visit have mirrored the human health-care spending closely. It is up by 60% for pet health care from 1996 to 2012, and 50% for people.

Also the supply in physicians grew significantly faster than in other sectors it grew about 40%, while the supply in veterinarians nearly doubled. Physician-related establishments and veterinary-related establishments grew at similar rates, and more quickly than did other kinds of establishments.