Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Turin, Largo Paolo Braccini 2, 10095, Grugliasco, TO, Italy.
CNR, University of Turin, Largo Paolo Braccini 2, 10095, Grugliasco, TO, Italy.
BMC Vet Res. 2020 May 11;16(1):131. doi: 10.1186/s12917-020-02357-9.
Over recent years, pet owners have started to demonstrate increased sensitivity toward their companion animals, which includes an increase in the attention paid towards their nutrition, seen as a way of safeguarding their pets' welfare. The aim of this study was to identify how pet food quality traits are perceived as being the most important by dog and cat owners. To this end, a survey of dog and cat owners was conducted by means of a questionnaire distributed in pet stores and trade fairs throughout Italy.
A total of 935 surveys were collected; 61.8% of which were compiled by female pet owners. The respondents were relatively homogeneously distributed between cat (30.8%), dog (39.4%), and cat and dog (29.8%) owners. A quarter of the owners (25.5%) reported to have asked their veterinarian for advice on which pet food to buy, and almost a third (30.4%) trusted the advice posted on the web sites of well-known brands. "Contains natural ingredients" was the characteristic that obtained the highest mean score (4.3 out of 5). Elderly owners (> 65 years) placed most importance on whether a product had a high price, and least on feed appearance, animal satisfaction, and stool quality. Young owners (< 35y) paid most attention to the stool quality, the percentage of protein in the feed, and the presence of recyclable packaging, and least attention to feed appearance, smell, and animal satisfaction. Feed appearance, smell, a higher cost, and certain label indications (protein content, presence of fresh meat, grain free) were mostly important among the buyers of wet pet food. Some specific differences also emerged between dog, cat, and dog and cat owners.
In this survey of Italian pet food buyers, the presence of "natural" ingredients was considered to be the most important indicator of pet food quality, whereas characterized by a high price was considered least important. The data obtained from this survey could be used to help pet food companies identify which pet food quality traits are perceived as important by dog and cat owners.
近年来，宠物主人对他们的伴侣动物表现出越来越高的敏感度，这包括对宠物营养的关注度增加，他们认为这是保障宠物福利的一种方式。本研究旨在确定狗和猫主人认为宠物食品质量特征中最重要的是哪些。为此，通过在意大利各地的宠物店和贸易展览会上分发问卷，对狗和猫主人进行了调查。
共收集了 935 份调查；其中 61.8%是由女性宠物主人填写的。受访者在猫（30.8%）、狗（39.4%）和猫和狗（29.8%）主人之间相对均匀地分布。四分之一的主人（25.5%）曾向兽医咨询过应该购买哪种宠物食品的建议，近三分之一（30.4%）信任知名品牌网站上发布的建议。“含有天然成分”是获得最高平均得分（4.3 分）的特征。年龄较大的主人（>65 岁）最看重产品价格是否高，而对饲料外观、动物满意度和粪便质量最不重视。年轻的主人（<35 岁）最关注粪便质量、饲料中的蛋白质含量和可回收包装的存在，而对饲料外观、气味和动物满意度关注最少。在购买湿宠物食品的消费者中，饲料外观、气味、较高的价格和某些标签指示（蛋白质含量、新鲜肉类的存在、无谷物）是最重要的。在狗、猫和狗和猫主人之间也出现了一些具体的差异。
在这项意大利宠物食品购买者的调查中，“天然”成分的存在被认为是宠物食品质量的最重要指标，而价格较高则被认为是最不重要的。从这项调查中获得的数据可以帮助宠物食品公司确定狗和猫主人认为哪些宠物食品质量特征是重要的。
