Pandemic pets from 2020 needed food and treats in 2021, meanwhile pet populations continued growing in Europe.
As in the U.S. and other nations, Europeans acquired new cats, dogs, snakes and parrots in early 2020 to keep themselves and their children company as they sheltered in place. In 2021, pet food stockpiling that occurred in the early pandemic subsided and didn’t return with new virus variants and associated lockdowns. Nor did the boom in adoptions reoccur. Nevertheless, those new pandemic pets did need food and treats in 2021, and pet populations continued growing. European pet food industry group FEDIAF reported that pet food sales value in Europe increased 3.1% in 2021, reaching 27.7 billion Euros (US$28.89 billion). Although the rate of sales increase slowed from 2020, many of the same factors fueled sales of dog, cat and other pet food and treats in Europe as the pandemic continued into its second year. In total, FEDIAF estimated that 90 million households in the European Union own at least one pet animal, which accounts for 46% of all households.
Russia had the highest pet dog and cat populations in Europe for 2021, according to the FEDIAF report "Facts & Figures 2021." Italians owned the most pet birds, while France was home to the most reptile pets. The United Kingdom had the most aquariums.
Top cat populations
Russia – 22,950,000
Germany – 16,700,000
France – 15,100,000
Total Europe: 113,588,248
Total EU: 83,622,248
Top dog populations
Russia – 17,550,000
United Kingdom – 12,000,000
Germany – 10,300,000
Total Europe: 92,947,732
Total EU: 72,708,732
Top bird populations
Italy – 12,880,000
Turkey – 11,200,000
France – 5,300,000
Total Europe: 48,719,769
Total EU: 33,949,769
Top aquarium numbers
United Kingdom – 5,000,000
Russia – 3,950,000
Germany – 2,300,000
Total Europe: 16,403,937
Total EU: 10,700,937
Top small mammal populations
Russia – 6,530,000
Germany – 4,600,000
France – 3,600,000
Total Europe: 29,347,757
Total EU: 21,543,757
Top reptile populations
France – 3,300,000
Italy – 1,365,000
Germany – 1,200,000
Total Europe: 11,436,776
Total EU: 9,810,776
Tim Wall covers the dog, cat and other pet food industries as a senior reporter for WATT Global Media. His work has appeared inScientific American, Live Science, Discovery News, Honduras Weekly, Global Journalist and other outlets. He holds an M.A. in journalism and an M.S. in natural resources, both
from the University of Missouri - Columbia, along with a bachelor's degree in biology.
Wall served in the Peace Corps in Honduras from 2005 to 2007, where he coordinated with the town government of Moroceli to organize a municipal trash collection system, taught environmental science, translated for medical brigades and facilitated sustainable agriculture, along with other projects.
Many hours, efforts, dollars and brainpower go into pet food companies’ and regulatory bodies’ efforts to ensure that products on the market are safe and healthy for pets.
