Amidst the covid pet boom, as many as 3.2 million people[i] brought a new furry bundle of joy into their lives. But the experience of bringing home a pet comes with a training period and unfortunately there may be some unavoidable damages along the way such as scratches on the sofa and ripped bed sheets.

Though we’ll forever love our pets, Next has found that 43% didn’t pet proof their home by buying things such as stairgates, sofa covers and cable protectors – which could be putting furniture and more importantly our pets at risk.

By conducting a survey of 2,000 UK pet owners, Next has revealed that, on average, dog owners are spending £4,377 and cat owners £4,086 over their lifetimes to cover any accidental pet-related home damage and cleaning costs. Next has also uncovered the most common household items damaged by our lovable pets, and the average amount of money lost if we are to repair or replace these items.

Next spoke to interior design experts and pet behaviourists for tips on how to minimise pet-related damage in the home.

You can view the full piece here: https://www.next.co.uk/edited/homeware/pet-proof-living-room

The UK’s attitudes to pet proofing and cleaning demands

The UK are a nation of pet lovers and so it’s hardly surprising that many choose to share their homes and even their beds with their pets. But amidst the love and excitement, 40% of pet owners didn’t do research before choosing the right breed for them. Likewise, only 29% researched the behaviours of the breed and just 23% researched energy levels and exercise needs ahead of purchase.

Without researching a breed thoroughly, pet owners could be purchasing their pet without knowing their exercise needs or how tolerant they are to being alone. In time, this could mean that their pet may become bored in the home and may be more likely to nibble on their sofa rather than their trusty dog toy.

Some breeds may also shed more than others and so it’s worth also preparing for extra cleaning. At least once a week, 33% of UK pet owners clean their carpet and 30% clean their sofa due to fur, dribble and mess created by their pampered pet.

However, not all pet owners take on this cleaning themselves. 27% of pet owners hire a professional cleaner at least once a month, making the estimated average cleaning cost £237 a year per household. This cost goes towards the maintenance of our furniture plus the removal of stains and fur around the house caused by pets.

Damage cost of pets by city

For pet lovers, the costs of any small damages to our homes are minimal and owners will gladly pay it for their furry best friends.

Belfast takes the top spot with a staggering £406 (on average) spent to repair or replace home goods due to pet damage. When it comes to pet proofing, just 44% of the city’s residents pet proofed their home (the second lowest of all cities) which helps to explain why such high damage costs are seen in the Northern Irish city.

Second and third on the list of the cities forking out the highest damage costs are Birmingham with £251 and London with £238 per pet. Despite more thorough pet-proofing in both cities, there are still 37% of respondents who admit to not pet-proofing at all in Birmingham and 35% in London.

The cities spending the lowest amounts on damage caused by pets are Sheffield with just £99 of damage per pet, Newcastle with £111 and Cardiff with £136.