Tipperary pet owners are spending big on their cats and dogs this Christmas

Clonmel pet owners are spending up to €40 on their pet’s Christmas dinner and an average of €100 to include their pet on Santa’s Christmas present list.

Scented cat litter is also the big seller this Christmas with pet owners paying €17.99 for a bag of cinnamon scented litter to provide their cat with a festive smelling place to poop.

Maxi Zoo – Ireland’s largest pet retailer - has just released a list of the Top 10 selling Christmas presents for pets based on the spending patterns of customers who visited its store at Poppyfields Retail Park from December 1st to 9th inclusive.

Pets have become a big part of Christmas with owners also snapping up novelty Christmas pet jumpers, hats, stockings, selection boxes, candy cane treats and a variety of pet grooming products.

A new trend has also emerged when it comes to festive greeting cards with pet owners spending €2.49 to send a Christmas card from their dog or cat.

“Pets are very much part of the family and Irish pet owners are going out of their way to include them in this year’s festive celebrations,” said Emma Fanning, Brand Ambassador at Maxi Zoo Ireland.

“Our biggest seller this year is scented cat litter and the single biggest change in spending patterns is a shift to buying top quality cat and dog food,” she added.

“Dog and cat owners want the best when it comes to their pet’s Christmas dinner and they are willing to spend that little bit extra for it,” said Emma.

The Real Nature Wilderness dog food is based on the diet of a wolf and is Maxi Zoo’s best-selling food product. It is made from 100% natural ingredients like French Barbary duck, pasture beef, and North Sea Herring, providing pets with a pure, natural diet with no added colours, flavours or preservatives. The 4kg bag is no. 3 on the list at €39.99.

The equivalent best-seller for cats is Select Gold Sensitive which has a high meat content and which is made from a grain free recipe. Consumers are spending €19.95 to buy this 3kg bag for their pet. 

Fashion conscious pet owners are spending €12.99 on reindeer dog jumpers and €2.99 on Santa hats as winter warmer festive treats and €9.99 on Christmas stockings containing a toy moose, cotton chew and squeaker bone.

Cat owners are also snapping up the Stella Scratching Tree which comes with comfortable loungers and a cosy cave for cats who like to scratch, climb and laze. The product is no. 2 on the Top 10 list and costs €19.99.