I reported on this over at BlogPaws, but I think it's worth mentioning here, also. Pet spending - the money we pet owners spend on our favorite furry friends (and other pets, too, I think) - grew by 5% last year, according to the American Pet Products Association.

The information on the over $45 billion spent on pets in 2009, was part of a press release put out by the Global Pet Expo, quoting from the APPA. That's a big expo being held in Orlando in March. Wish I could go, but doesn't look promising at the moment. I wonder if Dr. Larry is going?

Anyway, I found the information on pet spending pretty interesting. It shows how much we value our pets, now. In the olden days, back when I was a kid, pets were loved and cherished, but we didn't consider them as members of the family, the way we do today. Actually, I always did, but to my parents, I know our cats and dogs were just that: cats and dogs. Very much loved, nonetheless.

Seems to me that part of spending on pets will be products that keep our pets healthy (good nutrition is high on my list), and I know lots of people who dress their pets up, so I guess pet accessories are included in that big billion dollar number. And, vet visits must be part of it, also.

We just took Wabby to the vet, for her first CO visit, yesterday. The vet said she is in pretty good shape for a 17 year old cat! She was very pleased to hear that, of course. So was I. The visit wasn't cheap - we had bloodwork and urine testing done, in preparation for teeth cleaning. (it is pet dental health month, after all)

We discussed pet health insurance while we were there. It's pretty popular today. People know the benefits and appreciate the help with their pets' overall care, I think. It's good to know pet health insurance is available and that costs for keeping our pets healthy via the security of having pet health insurance, is being offered across the nation. I will never understand why it took so long to catch on.

Here's a question: what do you spend on, for your pet? Toys? Clothes? Vet bills? Other things? How about travel? Inquiring minds want to know. (the BlogPaws folks want to know!)

Come to BlogPaws, and meet Dr. Larry!