Profiling Italian cat and dog owners’ perception of pet food quality and their purchasing habits

Abstract Background. There has recently been a growth in sensitivity toward pet animals, and this has also involved an increase in attention toward their nutrition, which is seen as a way of guaranteeing the welfare of their pets. However, it is difficult for pet owners to understand the quality of products, due to a lack of clear information on the label. The aim of the study has been to identify the pet food characteristics that can be considered as quality indicators for dog and cat owners through a survey which was distributed by the promoters in pet stores and sector fairs throughout the Italian territory. Results. A total of 935 surveys were collected. Descriptive statistic showed a higher percentage of female owners (61.8%) among the interviewees. The participants were divided almost equally between owners of dogs (39.4%), cats (30.8%) and both dogs and cats (29.8%). A quarter of the owners (25.5%) asked veterinary for advice on which pet food to buy, and about a third (30.4%) trusted the advice posted on web sites’ of the major brands’, giving both of them a greater responsibility to provide information. “Contains natural ingredients” was the characteristic with the highest score (4.3 out of 5). Older owners (>65y) paid more attention to cost, and less to the appearance of pet food, animal satisfaction and fecal quality. Younger owners (<35y) paid more attention to the quality of the faeces, the percentage of protein, the presence of recyclable packaging and less attention to the appearance of the food, the smell and animal satisfaction. Appearance, smell, a higher cost and some label indications (protein content, presence of fresh meat, grain-free) were important for the wet pet food buyers. Furthermore, some differences emerged between the owners of different animal species. Conclusions. Italian pet food buyers considered the presence of particular ingredients as the most important indicator of quality of pet food, while the least important was the price. The information from this survey could be used to help pet food companies to identify the factors that influence the quality of the products as perceived by dog and cat owners.