Pet Feeding Practices: A Survey of Dog and Cat Owners’ Current Feeding Practices, Attitudes, and Motivations Within the UK

Abstract

The choice of what to feed is a significant decision for a pet owner and is complicated by the vast array of choices that are available. The purpose of this study was to investigate the feeding choices and practices of UK dog and cat owners. An online survey was conducted in which owners were asked about their feeding practices, what they look for in pet food, and purchasing habits, as well as collecting owner demographics and pet signalment information. A total of 520 responses were collected for 682 dogs and cats (572 dogs and 110 cats), with most owners only having one pet. Significantly more cats were fed a mix of wet and dry food or solely wet food, while significantly more dogs were fed raw food. Most owners feed their pets twice a day in a standard bowl and obtain nutritional information online. Furthermore, the most common way to purchase their food is online. There are differences between cat and dog owners feeding choices, with cat owners staying with more traditional methods and more dog owners choosing raw or alternative feeding. Raw feeding has increased in popularity compared to previous studies.

1. Introduction

What an owner chooses to feed their pet is one of the most important decisions they will make; however, an ever-expanding number of pet food varieties has led consumers to struggle to make suitable pet food purchase decisions. A 2015 survey of 900 dog owners showed that nearly 50% of dog owners claimed choosing the right food is the hardest part of pet ownership, while more than half believe their dog’s nutrition is more confusing than their own, and nearly 25% feel overwhelmed with the choices available [1]. There are an estimated 10.2 million dogs and 11.1 million cats in the UK, and an estimated 50% of all UK adults own at least 1 cat or dog [2]. This contributes to a UK pet market that has experienced continuous growth in recent years and is one of the largest in Europe, with pet food itself contributing the largest value, worth over 3.3 billion GBP (1.59 billion GBP for dog food and 1.27 billion GBP for cat food) [3].

For many years, the majority of cats and dogs have been fed conventional dry food (kibble), wet food (canned, pouches, or rolls), or a combination of both, which are often conveniently balanced and complete [4]. These foods are usually manufactured following guidelines published by the European Pet Food Industry [5] in Europe or similar organizations worldwide. Prior to data collection for this study, there had been four studies assessing the feeding types and practices of pet owners in the UK, only one of which referred to cats [6,7,8,9]. These, along with previous studies throughout Europe, have suggested that there is increasing interest in alternative diets, such as raw or homemade diets, and humanistic trends, such as natural, human-grade, organic, or vegetarian diets, for pets [10,11]. A growing mistrust of commercial pet food brands is apparent in online pet information [12,13], with often confusing and conflicting information on the internet focusing on ingredient claims and processing methods [11,14].

This study aimed to examine the current dog and cat feeding practices in the UK to assess some of the reasons for the food choices owners are making and to discover where owners source nutritional information. Furthermore, it aimed to compare the answers of dog and cat owners.

2. Materials and Methods

An online survey was created in QualtricsXM, consisting of 29 multiple-choice questions. The participants were asked about their gender, age bracket, region of residence, income bracket, and whether they work in the pet industry. Respondents were asked about their pet’s species, gender, age, size, and whether they are purebred or crossbred. Owners were asked details about the food they feed their dog/cat and the ways in which they feed their dog/cat. Furthermore, they were asked about the reasons for this food choice, where they seek nutritional advice/information, and a series of questions to determine the importance of some factors related to the food choice, for example, brand, ingredients, sustainability, the animal’s response, price, and packaging. The complete questionnaire is available in the Supplementary Materials.

Consent was obtained from each respondent before progressing to the survey questions. To be eligible for the survey, respondents had to be UK residents over the age of 18 and have at least one dog or cat whose diet they were the primary decision maker for, which could not be a prescription diet. The link to the open survey was shared through canine and feline interest groups on social media (Facebook) for 3 months, available from 2 September 2022 to 2 November 2022, at which point the survey was closed. All incomplete questionnaires were deleted.

A sample size of 384 participants was estimated to accurately reflect the UK cat and dog population. The descriptive analyses included the frequency and percentages of categorical responses. Comparisons were made between cat and dog feeding practices using the chi-square test, and the significance was analyzed using the Z-test with the Bonferroni method to adjust p-values. The significance was set at 0.05. The likelihood ratio (LR) was used to compare the categorical variables. Statistical analyses were undertaken using SPSS Statistics 29 (IBM Corp. Released 2022. IBM SPSS Statistics for Mac, Version 29.0. Armonk, NY, USA: IBM Corp.).

3. Results

A total of 520 questionnaires were completed. Most respondents were female (486/520, 93.5%), and the most common age group was 45–54 (142/520, 27.3%), although every age group was represented. The respondents came from all over the UK, but with an underrepresentation in London and an overrepresentation in the Southeast and Scotland. A large proportion of the respondents were employed in the animal industry (115/520, 22.1%), including veterinarians, dog walkers or boarders, dog trainers, and behaviorists. More than half of all respondents (284/520, 54.62%) had only one dog or cat. Every household income was represented; however, many respondents (101/520, 19.4%) did not disclose their income. The full owner demographics are shown in

Table 1. Demographic data, including gender, age, region of residence, and income, of the respondents to an online survey of dog and cat feeding practices (n = 520).

	n	%
Sex
Male	25	4.8
Female	486	94.2
Non-Binary	4	0.8
Prefer Not to Say	1	0.2
Age
18–24	29	5.6
25–34	86	16.5
35–44	80	15.4
45–54	142	27.3
55–64	115	22.1
65–74	59	11.3
75+	8	1.5
Prefer Not to Say	1	0.2
Region of Residence
London	13	2.5
Northeast	24	4.6
Northwest	42	8.1
Yorkshire	35	6.7
East Midlands	33	6.3
West Midlands	40	7.7
Southeast	119	22.9
East	22	4.2
Southwest	74	14.2
Wales	17	3.3
Scotland	94	18.1
Ireland	4	0.8
Prefer Not to Say	3	0.6
Income
£0–£19,999	83	16
£20,000–£29,999	77	14.8
£30,000–£39,999	71	13.7
£40,000–£49,999	44	8.5
£50,000–£59,999	49	9.4
£60,000+	95	18.3
Prefer Not to Say	101	19.4

. The statistical analysis shows that the type of food fed differs with the owner’s region (LR = 115.293, p < 0.001) and with the owner’s income (LR = 71.938, p < 0.001). The feeding type was not related to the owner’s age (LR = 46.474, p = 0.113).

From the 520 responses, data were collected for 682 pets: 572 dogs (83.9%) and 110 cats (16.13%). The details are shown in

Table 2. Pet details obtained from an online survey of 520 pet owners, including type of pet, gender, age, breed type, whether they are registered with a breeding association, and size (n = 682).

	n	%
Type of Pet
Dog	572	83.87%
Cat	110	16.13%
Gender
Male	336	49.56%
Female	342	50.44%
Age
0–2	152	22.39%
2–5	188	27.69%
5–8	151	22.24%
8–11	122	17.97%
12+	66	9.72%
Breed
Purebreed	374	55.49%
Crossbreed	300	44.51%
Registered with a breeding association
Yes	205	30.51%
No	464	69.05%
In the process of registering	3	0.45%
Size
Extra Small (Up to 8 kg)	119	17.55%
Small (8–15 kg)	161	23.75%
Medium (15–27 kg)	203	29.94%
Large (28–45 kg)	141	20.80%
Giant (45+)	12	1.77%
Cat	42	6.19%

.

The majority of pet owners feed their pets conventional diets: dry kibble, wet food, or a combination of both (dry: 173/676, 25.6%; wet: 37/676, 5.5%; wet and dry: 220/676, 32.5%), with a significant difference between cat and dog owners (LR = 53.580, p < 0.001). Over half of the cats and over a quarter of the dogs are fed a mixture of wet and dry food (dogs 160/567, 28.2%; cats 60/109, 55.0%), with the next most popular feeding method for both being dry food served on its own (dogs 153/567, 27.0%; cats 20/109, 18.3%). Raw feeding is much more popular amongst dog owners compared to cat owners (dogs 110/567, 19.4%; cats 5/109, 4.6%), and no cats were fed a homemade diet (Figure 1). Of those feeding dry kibble, the most common method of cooking was baked (116/261, 44.4%), followed by extruded (53/261, 20.3%) and cold pressed (49/261, 18.8%). The type of food was not related to the pet’s age (LR = 30.995, p = 0.154); however, it did vary with breed size (LR = 70.814, p < 0.001) and whether the pet was a purebreed or crossbreed (LR = 34.885, p < 0.001). Purebreeds were more likely to be fed raw food (purebreed: 80/373, 21.4%; crossbreed: 35/299, 11.7%) and less likely to be fed a mix of wet and dry food (purebreed: 91/373, 24.4%; crossbreed: 127/299, 42.5%). Large breeds were less likely to be fed a raw food diet (22/179, 12.3%) or a solely wet diet (3/179, 1.7%). They are more likely to be fed a dry diet (73/179, 40.8%). The respondents working in the animal sector show a higher likelihood to feed raw food (47/115, 40.9%) or a dry and wet food combination (46/115, 40%).

The majority of both cats and dogs are fed twice per day (combined 484/673, 71.92%): dogs 428/566, 75.62%; cats 56/107 (52.34%). Some differences were noted between dog and cat owners (LR = 65.465, p < 0.001); over a quarter of cats are fed ad libitum (27/107, 25.23%), while only 2.65% of dogs are fed ad libitum (15/566).

The use of different feeding methods differs between cat and dog owners (LR = 59.541, p < 0.001), with approximately half of the dogs (349/692, 50.4%) and over three-quarters of the cats (94/112, 83.9%) being fed using a standard bowl. Significantly fewer cat owners use variety feeding (1/112, 0.9%) or slowdown bowls (2/112, 1.8%) to feed their cats when compared to dogs (86/592, 12.4%, and 102/592, 14.7%, respectively).

Only 16.6% of the owners have always fed the same food; the reasons for changing differ between cat and dog owners (LR = 40.332, p < 0.001). Cat owners are more likely to feed a variety of brands (cats: 32/109, 29.4%; dogs: 67/609, 11.7%), while dog owners are more likely to change the food for health or behavioral reasons (dogs: 201/609, 35.1%; cats: 24/109, 22.0%). Furthermore, whether an owner changes the brand of food will depend on what type of food they use for feeding (LR = 57.669, p < 0.001) (Figure 2).

Almost two-thirds of pet owners stated that the ingredients were an important consideration when choosing food (440/672, 65.48%). Price (201/672, 29.91%) and recommendation (215/672, 31.99%) were the other two most common reasons for food choices. No differences were seen between cat and dog owners’ reasons for brand choice (LR = 6.646, p = 0.355). Many owners (40.24% overall) specified that they wanted grain-free food (dogs 239/558, 42.83%; cats 29/107, 27.10%), and 39.34% of owners specified that they wanted natural food (dogs 234/558, 41.9%; cats 28/107, 26.17%). Food recommended by vets was preferred by 15.4% (86/558) of dog owners and 20.6% (22/107) of cat owners (LR = 1.54, p = 0.203). No specific food requirements were selected by 15.2% of dog owners (85/558) and 28.0% of cat owners (30/107) (LR = 10.292, p = 0.001). The most common method of purchasing pet food was online—direct from the brand (44.8%)—followed by pet stores (41.7%) and then supermarkets (19.5%).

The respondents indicated a wide range of sources of nutrition and feeding information, as detailed in

Table 3. Sources of nutritional information and advice used by 520 UK pet owners surveyed online.

	Dogs		Cats		Total
	n	%	n	%	n	%
Breeder	37	6.57%	4	3.81%	41	6.14%
Education	150	26.64%	23	21.90%	173	25.90%
Friends or Family	101	17.94%	12	11.43%	113	16.92%
Magazines	26	4.62%	4	3.81%	30	4.49%
Online—Social Media	106	18.83%	15	14.29%	121	18.11%
		Facebook			163	24.3%
		Instagram			42	6.3%
		Youtube			19	2.8%
		TikTok			9	1.3%
		Other			70	10.4%
Online—Websites	338	60.04%	60	57.14%	398	59.58%
		Brand Websites			203	51.0%
		All about Dog food			216	54.3%
		Veterinary website			116	29.1%
		Pet Food Expert			82	20.6%
		PFMA			67	16.8%
		Other			112	28.1%
Other	80	14.21%	17	16.19%	97	14.52%
Pet Store	137	24.33%	17	16.19%	154	23.05%
Veterinarian	153	27.18%	40	38.10%	193	28.89%

.

4. Discussion

A total of 520 valid responses were obtained for the online survey of pet feeding practices in the UK. Despite there being more cats than dogs in the UK [2], more respondents owned at least one dog, with 83.9% of the responses detailing dog feeding practices. This may be due to bias induced by the social media common interest groups chosen to publicize the survey, many having a primary focus on dogs. The lower number of responses concerning cats means that it is difficult to ensure that data from cat owners are representative, although, according to our sample size estimation, the number of dog owner responses was adequate to reflect the population. A very high proportion of respondents identified as female, which could be due to the higher tendency for females to respond to surveys [15].

Most pets were fed traditional commercial diets, a finding consistent with an observational study by Dodd et al. [4] and with the 2022 PAW report findings [2]. A few respondents used homemade diets, which is a similar finding to other surveys; only 3.8% of pets in the USA [14] and 2.7% of pets in Portugal [11] were fed a homemade diet. When looking at the difference between cats and dogs, the results show that cats are more likely to be fed a combination of wet and dry food (60/109, 55%), which is similar to that reported in the PAW report 2022, which showed that 57% of cat owners feed a mixture of wet and dry food [2]. Furthermore, dogs were much more likely to be fed a raw diet, with the survey finding less than 5% of cats (5/109, 4.6%) and 19.4% of dogs (110/567) being fed this way. This is consistent with the 2022 PAW report but contrasts with a 2016 survey carried out in the USA, which found that 3% of dog owners and 4% of cat owners purchase raw pet food [16]. Cat owners may be less likely to use a raw diet due to concern about providing adequate taurine requirements, as taurine-deficient cardiomyopathy has been demonstrated experimentally when cats were fed a rabbit-based raw diet (despite adequate amounts on analysis) [17]. There may also be a concern about intestinal blockages or lacerations from bones or the risk of microbiological hazards that are associated with feeding raw food. Bacterial pathogens, such as Salmonella spp., Escherichia coli, and Campylobacter spp., are a risk, with possible transmission to both pets and their owners, with possible routes of infection being in direct contact with the food (when preparing food or washing up) or in contact with Salmonella spp. shed in pets’ feces [16]. The scale of Salmonella spp. contamination in the UK is monitored by the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) and was reported in raw vs. processed food in ratios of 20:1 in 2016 and showed that more than 50% of the regular serovar isolations came from raw pet food [18]. A final consideration may be the additional inconveniences and costs that are associated with raw feeding, as cats are often considered to be low-maintenance pets [19] and are consequently owned by people who prefer the convenience of conventional feeding. Cost and storage requirements may also be why large breeds appear less likely to be fed a raw diet [20].

This study shows a significantly higher proportion of owners raw feeding than the 9% previously reported by Dodd et al. [4] and 10.6% (13% for dog owners only) reported by Morelli et al. [20]. This may be due to the high percentage of respondents working in the animal sector (115/520, 22.1%), as a large proportion of these respondents (47/115, 40.9%) fed a raw diet to their pets. An explanation for this may be the claimed benefits of raw food, such as behavioral improvements and dental and skin care improvements when compared to conventional kibble [16]. In particular, dog trainers or behaviorists and dog walkers or boarders were more likely to feed raw food, whereas veterinary workers showed a preference for dry food or a dry and wet combination. Those working in a veterinary environment may have a greater awareness of the infection risks associated with bacterial contamination of raw food (e.g., Salmonella spp.). Conversely, no animal sector worker fed a homemade diet to their pets, most likely due to some of the well-documented dangers of feeding this type of diet to their pet caused by feeding nutritionally inadequate diets and resultant nutritional deficiencies. Reported associated diseases include dysregulation of bone metabolism, myelopathy, pansteatitis, and seizures [21,22,23,24].

Several studies have revealed ingredients to be the most important factor for pet owners when selecting their food [25,26], which has been corroborated by this survey. Many surveys investigating pet diets have suggested that the increase in the demand for specific types of diets may be caused by owners’ anthropomorphism. With a rising trend for more “natural” diets, the human food industry has seen an increase in organic food products being marketed over the last 20 years [27]. It, therefore, stands to reason that if owners view their pets as members of their family, as a recent study suggests [28], they would pay attention to pet food ingredients and expect a quality similar to their own diet. Economics may drastically affect the diet choices owners make. It is generally considered that income will affect the choice of organic food [29], and rising food costs may influence the decision to buy organic, especially for a pet. Monthly pet care costs, including food, insurance, and vet bills, have risen considerably from an average 54.94 GBP in 2019 to an average 108.89 GBP in 2022 [30]. This is likely to impact owners’ choices.

Transference of human health issues to pets may result in certain dietary requirements being desired, without any evidence to support these claims. For example, some pet owners may avoid wheat due to gluten intolerance, a fairly common dietary condition that affects up to 6% of humans [31] and has resulted in gluten avoidance [32], but is incredibly rare in dogs and is usually restricted to certain breeds, such as the Irish Setter [33]. This survey shows that many dog and cat owners seek grain-free diets, which have shown significant growth in popularity throughout Europe and the USA since their introduction [34]. This is a much larger proportion than the 10% of UK consumers estimated to be following a gluten-free diet [35]. This suggests that owners are purchasing grain-free diets for other reasons, which may include allergy prevention or because owners deem grains to be lower quality in pet food [36] or unnecessary/unnatural as part of a balanced pet diet. This highlights a disconnect between human nutrition, where whole grains are seen as a beneficial ingredient, and pet nutrition, where it is often referred to as a filler [34]. Investigations are being carried out into grain-free foods and any association with an increased risk of dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) in dogs [37]. It is thought that the pulses used as grain alternatives have a different amino acid profile and could cause micronutrient imbalances [38]. Many cat owners (28%) had no specific dietary requirements for their pets, although the response numbers were low. The differences with dog owners suggest that cat owners do not follow trends in the same way that dog owners do and may suggest that they may place a lower anthropomorphism value on their cats. Alternatively, it may also be linked to the larger percentage of cat owners seeking veterinary advice on feeding (also found in a recent survey of cat owners) [39].

The vast majority of participants feed their pets twice a day (484/673, 71.2%), similar to Naughton et al. [40], despite a recent research study suggesting that dogs fed once per day have better cognitive scores and are less likely to experience health conditions such as gastrointestinal issues, poor dental/oral health, orthopedic, kidney/urinary, or liver/pancreatitis concerns [41]. It should be noted that although the study clearly shows correlation, it does not explain causation, which requires more research. Other reasons for a twice-a-day schedule may once again be related to the anthroporphizing of pets and a human’s general schedule of multiple times a day or for fear of their pets feeling hungry. In fact, multiple sources online will advise feeding pets twice a day, with some suggesting that feeding once a day may increase the risk of bloat, may cause sickness due to the stomach being empty, and may cause hyperglycemia in smaller dogs, as well as may increase the risk of anxious or aggressive behavior [42]. The significantly higher number of cats fed ad libitum (27/107, 25.23%) is likely due to small, frequent meals or grazing behaviors being similar to a cat’s observed preferences [43], with this proportion similar to that found by Naughton et al. [40]. It may also be related to convenience and lifestyle choices.

When looking at feeding methods, significantly more cats (94/112, 83.9%) are fed using a standard bowl. This finding is similar to other reports that very few cat owners use food puzzles [44], with surveys showing that approximately 5% [45] or 20% [39] of cat owners try to stimulate foraging behavior by hiding food or using puzzle feeders. A few empirical studies have shown the benefits of food puzzles in companion animals; however, other types of play enrichment have been shown to reduce visible signs of stress [45] and encourage weight loss [46,47]. In addition, the provision of food puzzles has been shown to increase activity and reduce problematic behavior in kennelled dogs [48], which could be likened to indoor cats. A larger proportion of dog owners use slowdown bowls (14.75%) or raised feeding bowls (11.8%). Despite the common belief that raising feeding bowls can reduce the risk of gastric dilation volvulus (GDV), studies suggest that this may not be the case and that raised feeding may increase the risk of GDV [49,50]. An alternative reason to raise a feeding bowl is to encourage a redistribution of strain on the body as a method of pain management for musculoskeletal issues, such as arthritis [51].

Food was most commonly purchased online, mostly directly from the brand website (44.8%) or from pet stores (41.7%). This differs from a survey carried out in Italy [10], which showed 40.3% of owners bought their food in a supermarket, followed by pet shops with 25%. This may be influenced by the high number of raw feeders who were shown to favor online shopping direct from the brand or pet shops. Alternatively, the high percentage of online purchases may reflect overall UK purchasing habits, with internet shopping being more popular in the UK than any other country [52]. In addition to purchasing, the most common source of information for pet owners about feeding was online, with almost 60% stating the internet as a source of information. Interestingly, a survey investigating raw feeding found that a similar 60% of owners had chosen diets containing raw ingredients by searching the internet [8], so the high percentage of internet users may also be influenced by the high percentage of raw feeders in this survey.

The number of owners seeking feeding advice from their veterinarian in the UK is significantly lower than that in other countries, with a study in Portugal showing that 64.9% of owners use veterinarian advice and 43.6% in the USA [10,13]. One explanation for this could be the higher proportion of raw feeders in this survey, as it is commonly believed that many veterinarians do not approve of or advise the use of raw food in pets’ diets. The concern is that the internet can be a source of unreliable information or misinformation, which may lead to owners feeding unsuitable or incomplete food to their pets [13].

Although giant dogs were underrepresented in this study, it appears the number of giant breed dogs may be decreasing [53]. Recent articles discussing breed distribution may not even mention giant breeds [54,55]. However, it is difficult to know if our survey results fully represent the larger dog population.

A limitation of this study is the use of pet interest groups on social media as the sole method of survey distribution. Interestingly, the respondents were predominantly in age groups of 45–64, and the age groups were well spread. However, there is likely to have been some bias introduced, as the respondent population will have been more likely to use social media as a source of information, and this may not reflect a wider pet-owning population.

Further research is warranted to investigate links between the owner’s diet and how they choose to feed their pets. More information on the health and behavior of pets may be useful, as a high percentage of owners changed their food for behavioral reasons.

5. Conclusions

There are clear differences between cat and dog owners in the UK regarding food choices and feeding habits. The use of raw feeding for dogs is higher than previously reported. Owners use the internet and social media for advice about their pets’ nutrition, and a high proportion of owners also buy food online. This finding has relevance for veterinary practices and others (e.g., manufacturers) looking to reach pet owners.