Survey reveals pet owner stereotypes such as ‘crazy old cat lady’ still exist

Survey lets cat out of the bag around UK pet ownership misconceptions

Research from Bella & Duke challenges gender stereotypes that cats are for women and big dogs are more masculine

Leading pet food and wellbeing company Bella & Duke are on a mission to debunk common misconceptions around pet ownership, nutrition and pet food labelling as well as breed cliches. The company conducted UK wide research unveiling gender stereotypes of pet owners, with 86% of people thinking chihuahua owners are more likely to be female and 72% feeling a rottweilers owner would be male. Nearly half (45%) believe a cat owner is a female, with 27% believing they are more likely to be single.

Bella & Duke champions species-appropriate and pet centred wellbeing, yet many still don’t realise the benefits of a raw diet versus more recent, and now considered more conventional pet foods such as kibble or tinned. Raw feeding is continuing to become a more popular option for pet owners, yet there are still many misconceptions around this natural diet that need to be challenged and Bella & Duke have set out to do just that.

Mark Scott, CEO at Bella & Duke, said: “Common pet misconceptions we see today like the ‘crazy old cat lady’ are often derived from the movies we consume or the books we read. This type of perception can have a harmful lasting impact on breeds for years and years to come, and as a proud cat owner, I know these simply are not true.

“We face similar misconceptions and misunderstandings in the pet food industry. Raw feeding comes with many of its own falsehoods so it’s important we’re openly speaking about these and not only putting them to rest, but continuing to educate each other more on the benefits of a natural and species-appropriate diet for our pets. At Bella & Duke it is our top priority that every animal is cared for and understood to allow them to thrive in a healthy and happy life, we will always champion species-appropriate and pet centred wellbeing.”

Other key stats include:

• 45% of people said chihuahuas are used as a fashion accessory
• 28% of people thought that larger dogs were higher maintenance pets than smaller dogs
• 61% of those surveyed felt that too many people had pets for the wrong reasons
• 26% believed that cats preferred to be left on their own

Despite pet owners wanting what is best for their furry friends, the research found that almost a quarter (24%) of Brits actually don’t know what type of food is the most nutritious for their pets whether its raw, wet food or kibble (dried food pellets).

Further to this, over a third (37%) were entirely unsure of what the legal requirement of meat that needs to be in meat-based foods, showing there is a lot of confusion when it comes to pet nutrition. Despite this confusion, over 40% of pet owners said they believe wellness claims made by pet food brands, which often show no supporting evidence of the proposed benefits.

Bella & Duke also found that some pet owners think raw feeding is inconvenient (17%). However, as a direct to door supplier, Bella & Duke prides itself on offering its subscribers a convenient product tailored to each breed, weight, and age of pets, leaving the experts to calculate how much your furry friend needs to live a life well loved. Additionally, as part of streamlining the customer experience, Bella & Duke’s customer care team regularly check in to see how a pet’s journey on raw food is going, offering subscribers advice, guidance and the opportunity to tailor their pet’s subscription as required.

The research identified concerns around the safety of raw feeding with 12% of survey participants believing that raw food is full of bacteria, however Bella & Duke recently became one of the first raw pet food suppliers to be RawSAFE accredited. This new raw dog food certification scheme run by veterinary professionals conducts independent audits of raw pet food manufacturers and unannounced spot checks to ensure pet owners receive the best and safest possible food for their pets.

Bella & Duke offers a convenient subscription service, along with free educational guides and support for pet owners to support to help them in doing right by their pet and giving them the ability to learn more about the importance of what they’re feeding them.

To show you can never judge a book by its cover, Bella & Duke has worked with its founder, Mark Scott and his one year old and 10 month old cats, Rocky and Ace alongside its customers John Cardie with his nine-month-old pomeranian, Teddy, and Lisa Twentyman and her rottweiler Loki enjoying their time together.