$ 60,000,000,000 a year.

[CourierDriver]

http://www.nbcnews.com/business/consumer...ts-year-n390181

We do love our pets...

 

[Mr Nice]

Pets are part of the family.

 

[double vanos]

The best friends I have are the family pets ( cats).

 

[KD0AXS]

We have 5 birds, 3 cats, and a dog. We make a nice yearly contribution to that figure.

 

[crazyoildude]

Dogs and Cats and other animals just want to please they are great !!!

 

[Gasbuggy]

No pets for me. I hate having to be home at a certain time, the smell, the hair, the mess, the burden on others when you need it watched, and apparently the cost.

 

[aquariuscsm]

Two turtles and a cat here

 

[Shannow]

As a society, pets are great, they are (typically) quite a healthy pasttime, offering pseudo companionship, exercise, something to look forward to etc.

Unfortunately industry has latched onto that, so instead of a healthy animal being fed what's essentially offcuts and leftovers from the family, they are fed premium priced rubbish that is intended to lighten wallets while making the owners feel good.

Latest among the line of wallet lightening "pet care" is pet insurance, with smiley faces, and fido's $8,000 hip surgery could have cost us our home if it wasn't for RSPCA pet insurance.

Pets great.

The fleecing that surrounds them, not so.

 

[Lapham3]

I'm known people that spend huge $ trying to keep sick, old dog alive 'awhile longer'. Sad to see, but a nice income for the vet.

 

[Yah-Tah-Hey]

Chief cat box attendant here. I don't want anyone to know what it costs us to keep three cats well. "A license to steal" has become my mantra when vet care is mentioned around our house. I agree with Lapham3. Keeping a sick animal alive just because it can be done is not the right thing to do. We on the other hand, have to suffer through all kinds of indignities because the medical community is so concerned about law suits that individuals who want to die are kept alive by extraordinary means until nature steps in and says enough

 

[ls1mike]

We have two dogs and a cat. They are good animals, but when my kids are grown and these ones pass on, I am done. I want to be able to come and go as I wish and not worry about liter boxes and pet hair.