The multi-species family is here, and we’re changing the future of pet care
Throughout my professional journey and career in the pet care industry, I have met numerous women who were unsure, indifferent, or disinclined towards motherhood — but many of whom considered themselves passionate and committed ‘pet parents.’ I have always wrestled with whether to have children, but never with having animals. At 23, I adopted my first dog, a tiny chihuahua named Charly, despite the demands of a young career and a pitiful salary. I embraced the responsibility of caring for her wholeheartedly.
Multiple studies suggest that young people and couples adopt pets as “starter children,” which seems reductive. For me and many people I know, the decision to have pets has nothing to do with our decision to have children. A life without animals isn’t an option for us. Loving an animal is a profound connection, unique and yet akin to human bonds, leading me to believe that we represent part of a somewhat silent, growing demographic that finds fulfillment outside traditional familial norms.
In her book Just Like Family: How Companion Animals Joined the Household, SMU sociologist and author Andrea Laurent-Simpson asserts that the American family structure is changing to include nonhuman species, and the implications are enormous. She depicts “the new breed of American family — the multi-species family” in which “dogs and cats are treated like children, siblings, grandchildren.”
Laurent-Simpson describes how this emerging family model is dramatically shaping how society thinks about the responsibilities, rewards, and moral obligations of pet ownership and how the multi-species family is driving innovation in the pet care, veterinary, and animal health industries and compelling businesses to think differently about the products and services people want.
This trend is evident in the decisions, behaviors, and spending of American families, who increasingly consider their pets in child-rearing, home buying and renting, job location, travel, and budgets, Laurent-Simpson says. Likewise, the American Pet Products Association (APPA) reports a 67% increase in pet care spending over the past eight years and projects that it will increase from $143.6 billion in 2023 to over $174.5 billion in 2028.
Families’ bond with their nonhuman members also impacts public policy, laws, and legislation. Laurent-Simpson explains that when Hurricane Katrina approached in 2005, nearly half of New Orleans residents refused to evacuate without their pets, instead staying behind to face the hurricane, according to a survey by the Fritz Institute. In response, in 2006, Congress passed the PETS Act, authorizing FEMA to rescue, care, and provide shelter for household pets during an emergency.
A 2021 study published in the Comprehensive Psychoneuroendocrinology Journal describes how socioeconomic factors and financial resources impact the relationship and responsibilities of pets and their owner families. “Pets, due to their liminal status of family/property, as well as animal control laws and policies, are vulnerable and wholly dependent upon human caretakers throughout their lives, which can lead economically vulnerable pet owners to make choices that may appear irrational, such as allowing their health and well-being to suffer while prioritizing their pets’ health, welfare, perceived wants, and needs.” The study describes how healthcare planning for pet owners impacted how governments and community organizations responded to the COVID-19 global health emergency, as some critically ill people said they could not seek emergency care because there wouldn’t be someone able to care for their pets. “This fear was especially profound for owners with limited socioeconomic resources and those who reported a strong attachment bond to their pets.”
While the declining birth rate in America is attributed to many factors, including the economy, financial insecurity, and growing concerns for the global environment, Laurent-Simpson also suggests that the emergence of the multi-species family has affected it. The U.S. total fertility rate — the number of children born per 1,000 women — hit a record low in 2020, continuing a constant decline in 2007. “The role of the companion animal in the childfree, multi-species family may well incrementally contribute to delaying or even eventually opting out of childbirth,” she says. “The multi-species family without children is emerging as a new and acceptable form of diversified family structure,” these families want to be seen as legitimate and the needs of their pets fundamental and essential.
While Americans have long loved their pets, Laurent-Simpson ties the development of the multi-species family to the “massive demographic shifts that began in the 1970s because major society-level attitudinal shifts had to occur.” The multi-species family’s bonds run deep, and like any loved ones, pet parents naturally want to ensure their animals receive the best care possible. The desire to provide this level of care, even when faced with a severe injury or illness, catastrophic event, or old age, is changing how people perceive pet insurance. No longer is it just a financial decision; it’s emotional and arguably moral for most pet owners. People don’t feel they can be good humans if they can’t be good parents to their pets.
Given this changing perception, the pet care industry, the veterinary industry, and government and community organizations must evolve to support multi-species families’ financial and emotional well-being. Pet insurance companies must offer affordable plans to young people and lower-income families — with basic or catastrophic plans or access to negotiated, discounted services at select clinics. On the flip side, insurance companies must constantly revisit and redesign their most comprehensive plans to account for the high cost of modern, gold-standard veterinary care. As more and more pet owners become aware of and will seek out veterinary hospitals and specialty practices offering advanced treatments and therapies, the prevalence and cost of complex surgical procedures, dental and endodontic care, behavioral therapy, nutritional counseling, as well as post-surgical and rehabilitative care will have to be accounted for. Younger pet owners today are also more likely to seek alternative therapies and holistic and Eastern medicine. They will expect veterinary practices and pet insurance companies to be informed and accommodating of their ‘parental’ preferences.
Likewise, with the advancements in veterinary medicine, increase in preventive care compliance, and availability of higher quality diets and nutrition — pets are living longer. This means more senior dogs and cats and more families seeking care to keep their senior pets healthy, happy, and comfortable throughout their golden years. Since pets are not property, their ‘value’ does not diminish over time; no one wants to trade in an old or hurt pet for a new one. Over the past ten years, shelters, rescue organizations, and influencers have also helped spark passion and fanfare for senior pets on social media (there is no shortage of scraggly senior pets with millions of followers!). For this reason, we’ll see increased demand for palliative care, prosthetics, and mobility devices for sick, injured, and geriatric pets, And more families will seek support services like end-of-life counseling, hospice care, as well as compassionate and in-home euthanasia options when facing the end of their pet’s life.
The dynamics of the multi-species family and increased pet life expectancy will pressure pet care companies to be more progressive and innovative when designing their products and customer experience. Pet owners will increasingly expect better technology and user experiences that enable convenient, cost-effective access to more frequent support and care. They will be more likely to seek experimental therapies, clinical trials, and advanced diagnostics and monitoring devices that can be costly but could also help predict health risks before they become more severe and expensive to treat.
Pet owners will also expect businesses and brands to support their multi-species family dynamics and lifestyle. They will want insurance plans (pet insurance, homeowners or renters) to cover boarding or hotel fees when displaced from their homes. Pet families expect aid groups to help them evacuate their pets or find temporary shelter if there is a state of emergency or natural disaster. And because of the belief set underlying our love of animals, people will expect insurance companies to actively support rescue and pet welfare organizations and help advance animal advocacy and legislation.
The veterinary industry, perhaps the most attuned to the human-animal bond, is already rapidly evolving to provide a better client and patient experience — and helping hospitals improve efficiencies and charge rates that allow them to pay their staff fair and competitive wages. In the future, we may see veterinary organizations lobby governments and regulators to improve access to affordable care for low-income communities, make pet insurance more affordable and inclusive, or push for regulations that remove waiting periods or exclusions for certain pre-existing conditions. Veterinarians will also advocate for more straightforward policy language to avoid confusion around what is covered–a critical friction for hospitals trying to help clients with their insurance claims. We may also see plans co-created with vets or ‘vet approved’ certifications or ratings created by the AVMA, AAHA, or other veterinary institutions.
Pet owners will also increasingly expect better customer experiences. Mobile-friendly or conversational interfaces must make the pet insurance enrollment and claims process seamless and transparent. Pet owners will seek real-time answers to their pet health questions — from veterinary hospitals, TeleVet services, insurance providers, and pet retail companies. Pet insurance companies will be forced to solve legacy frictions — paying out of pocket for veterinary care, filing claims and invoices, and waiting for reimbursements; pet families will expect these to be automated or almost instant, which AI is already starting to make possible — bond between pets and their owners, reinforcing trust and loyalty in increasing retention rates. Today’s generation of multi-species families won’t expect their pet’s health care or insurance to be like the human healthcare system — they’ll expect it to be better.
The rise of the multi-species family and a younger workforce waiting longer to have children will likely lead employees to expect employers to acknowledge and respect pet ownership’s commitments and financial obligations. This will manifest in many ways; the employee with a dog will only want to work for an employer that respects their obligations to arrange (or pay for) pet sitting for a last-minute work trip. While generous parental leave and family health insurance are necessary and applauded, employees will also want their company to contribute to their pets’ health insurance and embrace policies and benefits that benefit their families and lifestyles.
As the awareness and influence of the multi-species family evolves, so will the multi-billion dollar pet care industries capitalizing on it. Forward-thinking pet care brands and innovative insurtechs (like the one I work for, Pumpkin) are designing strategies and better ways to meet pet owners’ and the veterinary community’s financial, practical, and emotional needs. These newer, innovative companies, welfare organizations, and advocacy groups are disrupting industries and driving change to provide the quality products, services, care, and respect that multi-species families deserve. And I couldn’t be more excited for the better world we’re creating.
References:
Phys.org: “Sociologist confirms what pet parents know: Pets really are part of the family” Andrea Laurent-Simpson, July 2021
Just Like Family: How Companion Animals Joined the Household, Andrea Laurent-Simpson, July 2021
2023–2024 APPA National Pet Owners Survey, March 23, 2023
Love, fear, and the human-animal bond: On adversity and multispecies relationships. Comprehensive Psychoneuroendocrinology: Jennifer W. Applebaum, Evan L. MacLean, Shelby E. McDonald
