According to one of the UK’s biggest pet retailers, cats are on track to take over from dogs as Northern Ireland’s most popular pet.
Jollyes, which currently has 15 stores in the north, says it is seeing a noticeable increase in cat-related purchases and predicts that the number of cats in NI will overtake the number of dogs within two years.
The chain reports that demand for cat products began climbing around 18 months ago, and sales are now nearly 30 percent higher than those for dogs.
Roughly 13.5 million dogs are owned across 36% of households while 12.5 million cats are owned across 29% of households in the UK.
However, Jollyes claims the gap is closing due to the increasing popularity of cats among the young, influenced by the likes of high-profile cat lovers such as Taylor Swift, Ricky Gervais, Dermot O’Leary, Kate Beckinsale and Bob Mortimer.
In fact, when Swift was named Person of the Year by Time magazine in 2023, Benjamin Button her Ragdoll was pictured draped around her neck. She told Time her cats, of which she has three, are “a real joy to live with” and praised their independence.
It’s this trait, combined with a preference for smaller pets that Jollyes believes is appealing to the younger generation.
Statistics show that the number of Millennial and Gen Z cat owners has risen dramatically in recent years – with 41% of those aged between 18 and 34 now sharing their home with at least one cat.
However, it’s not just young people as despite dogs being “man’s best friend” cat ownership has also started to grow among men. According to the chain, one in four men now consider themselves a ‘cat person’.
Jollyes claims the gap is closing due to the increasing popularity of cats among the young, influenced by the likes of high-profile cat lovers such as Taylor Swift and Ricky Gervais PICTURE: JORDAN TREANOR