In a first for Australia, the state of Victoria decided to take the tedious half-decade that is completing a census form, and decided to do it an extra time, but for pets. Now that the results are in we can finally see what names are most common amongst cattos and doggos, what expenses set owners back the most, and (hopefully) what religion each animal follows… I mean surely right?
In the 2022-2023 state budget, the Victorian Government promised it would conduct the first ever Victorian Pet Census. It was held in July of 2023 and received over 37,000 responses from pet owners, and presumably some pet’s pretending to be their own owners for tax-deduction purposes.
It questioned owners on things like pet’s names, ages, feeding habits, costs, how often they take them to the vet, where the pets are kept, how many pets a person has, how they came to own their pet, and the impact they believe their pets had on its owner’s livelihood.
Unfortunately, it did not ask owners what religion their pets subscribe to.
Something to work on for next time hey, Victorian Government?
That aside, there were some very cute and very interesting findings.
General findings
The Pet Census found that 58% of Victorians own a pet, and according to it’s estimations over 1.4 million homes in the state have a pet.
When it came to what type of pet was most owned, dogs topped the list at 41% of homes having a canine companion.
Cats lagged behind at 24% of homes having one, which honestly surprised me. If any state was going to be a cat state, I’d have suspected Victoria.
The numbers then dropped hugely, with only 5% of homes owning fish, and the same for birds. Meanwhile 6% was reserved for ‘other’ types of pets, which would include everything from exotic insects, to snakes, and maybe elephants but I seriously doubt it.
Ironically, the most commonly owned pet was NO PET, topping the ranking with 42% of homes being pet-less. The same percentage of homes also only owned one pet, with 12% owning two or more.
Some of the wholesome findings from the Pet Census also include that 64% of pet owners cited that the main reason they have a pet is for companionship. Now ain’t that cute?
And beautifully, 98% of pet owners said that their pets have had a positive impact on their lives. (I’m sure there’s a 2% margin for error there.)
What are the most popular pet names?
Across both cats and dogs, the most popular name in Victoria was Luna. Additionally, other popular names across species were Charlie, Max, Daisy, Coco, and Bella.
I, for one, am disappointed that Bluey did not make the most popular name on the list for dogs, given the ABC show’s popularity. However it was the most popular name for, unsurprisingly, blue tongue lizards.
Below you can see a word cloud the Pet Census put together that highlights the most popular names for each type of pet.
Some of the funniest inclusions are definitely Squirtle being a popular turtle name, and one of the most popular names for birds being just Chook.
And in the most upsetting news you’ll hear all day: 66% of fish do not have a name.
Pet expenses
In the lead up to the Pet Census, Victorians spent $6.6 billion on their beloved furry family members.
This was divided in the following catergories:
- Pet food: $3.1 billion.
- Veterinary services: $1.8 billion.
- Pet insurance: $449 million.
- Enrichment (toys and accessories): $382 million.
- Grooming: $299 million.
- And all other pet services: $610 million.
The Victorian Pet Census and the data is received will aim to improve the lives of pets across the state, with better understanding of what problems Victorian pet owners face, and how to better assist the industries that service them, such as vets.
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