South Africa is a nation of animal lovers, and that affection is shaping a growing pet economy. In this piece, Eighty20 looks at the trends driving the local pet sector, from who owns pets and whether they are insured to where they shop and how they are faring financially.
According to the MAPS survey, three in ten households have a cat or a dog, about 13.3 million pet owners. Dogs win by a wide margin: roughly 11.5 million people have a dog at home (25% of households) and 3.8 million (8% of households) have a cat, with around 2 million living with both. In comparison, in the UK, 41% of households own a dog and 31% a cat, for the US, 45.5% and 32.1% respectively.
Most pet homes don’t stop at one animal. Adults in dog-centric households live with an average of 1.9 dogs, and those in cat-centric households with 1.6 cats. The pattern by income is U-shaped: households at both ends of the LSM scale keep more animals than those in the middle.
This puts many owners in the path of Cape Town’s Animal Keeping By-law, which has drawn criticism from pet owners and opposition parties. The draft keeps the current limits of two dogs for a flat or sectional title unit, three for a standard house and four cats for any residential property, and anyone wanting more must apply for a permit, which can require written support from their neighbours. If rules like this pass, a lot of pet owners will need to get their pens out, as around 1.5 million adults in urban and metro areas live with three or more dogs, and about 100,000 with more than four cats.
Affluence opens the gate, but it is not the whole story
On average, households with pets earn up to 1.5 times as much as those without. Cut by Eighty20’s National Segmentation, pet ownership follows a clear gradient of income and stability. Comfortable Retirees lead, with 41% living with a cat or dog, followed by Heavy Hitters at 40%. These are the country’s most financially secure consumers. Heavy Hitters report average monthly household income of close to R60,000, and 85% live in a freestanding house, cluster or townhouse. Comfortable Retirees are just as settled: 90% own their home and 79% live in a house or townhouse. Pet ownership, in other words, rises with access to outdoor space and long-term housing security.
Humble Elders, with an average personal income of about R2,250 a month, have a pet ownership rate of 35%
Income, however, is not the whole story. Humble Elders, with an average personal income of about R2,250 a month, have a pet ownership rate of 35%, above the national figure and well ahead of the far better-off Middle Class Workers. Part of the explanation may be practical: where the police service is stretched, and private security is out of reach, a dog often doubles as protection.
What does that mean for retailers?
South Africa’s big retailers have all moved into pet care over the past five years. Woolworths acquired Absolute Pets, the country’s largest specialist pet chain, calling pet care “an attractive and rapidly developing market, with substantial growth potential”. Some see it as Woolworths stepping up its battle for affluent shoppers.
Checkers went after everyone else. Rather than buying a chain, it grew Petshop Science from a single Cape Town store in 2021 to 185 stores by June 2026, with pet insurance underwritten by OUTsurance. Its pitch is specialist pet products at supermarket prices, aimed at the mass-market and middle-income owners the specialist chains weren’t serving. SPAR has since launched its own chain, Pet Storey, and Pick n Pay has a free Pet Club on its Smart Shopper loyalty programme.
Retail sales in 2025 were up 3.7% in constant prices, while the pet market grew at 15.8%
Two forces sit behind the rush. The first is emotional. Retailers describe pets as family, and people treat spending on family as non-negotiable, so pet spend tends to hold up when other discretionary spending is squeezed. The second is commercial: pet care is a repeat purchase, and services such as grooming and insurance turn a one-off shopper into recurring revenue. And the numbers demonstrate that. Retail sales in 2025 were up 3.7% in constant prices, while the pet market grew at 15.8%.
If you want loyalty, get a dog
With so many retailers playing a role in the pet sector, a disruptive pet loyalty scheme can’t be far behind. So far, though, the big retailers are using their existing rewards to win pet owners, and with wealthier South Africans already belonging to more than ten programmes each, there may be little room in the wallet for a stand-alone card.
Shoprite Xtra Savings members who spend R1 000 or more a month at Petshop Science, in store or on Sixty60, get a month of free accidental cover of up to R10,000 for one dog or cat through OUTsurance. Petshop Science also partnered with Standard Bank’s UCount Rewards in July 2025, and shoppers can create profiles for their pets so offers can be tailored to each animal. Xtra Savings Plus subscribers get free Sixty60 delivery on Petshop Science orders of R350 or more.
Pick n Pay’s Pet Club, inside Smart Shopper, offers triple points on pet products, monthly discounts and 50% off the first three months of Dotsure pet insurance. Absolute Pets runs its own Pet Parent card, with savings on selected products and points on spend.
The need is growing as vet bills rise. A standard consultation in South Africa costs R350 to R550, and emergency treatment can run to R25,000 or more
The clear trend is a shift from points and discounts towards services, especially insurance. Bundled cover gives owners a reason to keep coming back and gives insurers a cheap way to reach first-time buyers. There is plenty of room to grow. BrandMapp, which surveys households earning more than R10,000 a month, shows only 7% of pet owners have pet insurance, against 48% with vehicle cover and 32% with household contents cover. The need is growing as vet bills rise. A standard consultation in South Africa costs R350 to R550, and emergency treatment can run to R25,000 or more.
“This low insurance penetration could be a barrier or an opportunity,” says Eighty20. “With pet retail spend set to rise, this could be a loyalty market ripe for disruption, similar to what Discovery did to medical aids.”
