Survey Shows Americans Spend A Surprising Amount On Pets

Do you pay attention to how much money you spend on your pets?  I don't.  I love our cat Mitzy and dog Beethoven and frankly, the less I know about how much my husband and I are spending on them the better!  After all, can you really put a price tag on joy received from a pet?

With that said, I happened upon the results of a survey by Opportunity Financial of 1000 American pet owners across the United States.  You might be very surprised how much people spend on their various pets in different states!   The survey revealed that on average, Americans spend about $126.19 per month on their pets.  However, all states are not equal with spending.  People in certain states spend more than others.  Delaware residents are the biggest pet spender, averaging $311.90 per month and those in Idaho spend the least at $20 per month.  Where do New Yorkers land with spending?  We average $156.46 a month.

The survey also found out how much people spend on certain types of pets.  See the breakdown of the results below.

Small mammals: $251.82/month
Dogs: $139.80/month
Reptiles or Turtles: $116.63/month
Birds: $113.89/month
Cats: $92.98/month
Mice or Rats: $80/month
Rabbits: $65/month
Fish: $62.53/month
Other (exotic pets): $351.67/month
Hermit crab?

Here's one more interesting nugget that the survey discovered:  pet spending was also broken down according to the gender of the pet owner and guess what?  American women spend less than men do on their pets! I was surprised, are you?  .