Rising pet ownership in Japan is stimulating sales of
health-related products for cats and dogs. Pet owners are
buying their furry friends not only low-calorie dietary
foods and high-fiber nutritional fare but also such items as
shampoo that helps prevent skin ailments and tartar-control
chewing gum.
Giving cats and dogs the kind of care usually reserved
for humans is perhaps another sign that many people consider
pets to be truly "part of the family."
With families shrinking, as couples today are tending
to live apart from their parents and have fewer children,
and home ownership steadily increasing (59.8% in 1993), more
and more Japanese are living with pets. The Ministry of
Health and Welfare reports that Japan's registered canine
population was 4.1 million in 1993 and estimates that there
are at least another 2 million unregistered dogs.
Although the ministry keeps no statistics for cats,
sources in the pet food industry put the figure at around 6
million.
Nothing's Too Good
Against this backdrop, the pet food business is booming,
with brands boasting "all-around nutritional value" and
"top-quality ingredients" ringing up sales. Recently,
however, a growing number of pet lovers are bestowing upon
their four-legged companions not only such gourmet cuisine
but also a new kind of pet food made with the same attention
to health considerations that goes into today's human fare.
Dog owners, for example, can choose from among a wide
variety of staple dry foods formulated to meet the precise
nutritional needs of dogs of all ages and sizes--from
overweight dogs to puppies--and made, for the most part,
with all-natural ingredients and no preservatives. One
kilogram runs about 1,000 yen, which is by no means cheap,
since a large dog eats that much in two days. Purchasers of
this costly chow would seem to be of the school that
"nothing is too good" for man's best friend.
Other big sellers are pet foods full of iron, calcium,
vitamins, and other nutrients; those rich in fiber and other
healthy ingredients; and those containing substances, such
as DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) and EPA (icosapentaenoic
acid), that help prevent the kinds of diseases that tend to
afflict older pets by stimulating various organic functions.
Especially popular this summer was a beef jerky pet
snack made with traditional Chinese medicines, such as
ginseng and deer's horn, which according to advertisements
help the furry set to beat the blistering heat. Also
catching on are an array of health-related pet products that
would not be out of place on a store shelf for humans. These
include tartar-reducing chewing gum, mineral water (which is
to be diluted before serving), and shampoo and rinse that
fight dandruff and skin rashes.
If all of this pampering by pet lovers results in cats
and dogs living healthier and longer lives, Japan may one
day have to deal with the graying of its animal as well as
its human population.
(The above article, edited by Japan Echo Inc., is based on domestic Japanese news sources. It is offered for reference purposes and does not necessarily represent the policy or views of the Japanese Government.)