New PerkyPet AI research finds more than 80% of pet parents consider their pets family, shaping how they spend, plan and safeguard their own well-being.
Americans' bond to their pets is reshaping how they spend their money, organize their lives, make daily decisions and care for their own well-being, according to new research from PerkyPet AI. The findings also point to growing opportunities to better support pet parents between veterinary visits.
A July 2026 survey of 1,250 U.S. pet parents reinforced what many already feel: Pets are family. More than 5 in 6 (83.6%) respondents said their pet is a member of their family, closely aligning with a 2023 study from the American Psychiatric Association (APA), which found that 88% of Americans feel the same.
For many, that bond goes even deeper. More than half (55.8%) of respondents in PerkyPet AI's survey said they viewed their pet like a child. Notably, that sentiment is remarkably consistent regardless of parental status: 55.2% of respondents with children in their home likened their pet to a child compared to 56.3% of those without. This parallel demonstrates that pets maintain a strong, emotionally driven role in the lives of their families regardless of their makeup.
Pets have become woven into the fabric of everyday American life, with pets occupying hearts in nearly 95 million households across the U.S., according to the American Pet Product Association (APPA). PerkyPet AI's survey data underscores how the relationship between pets and pet parents transcends fellowship, influencing stress levels, mental health and even sense of purpose.
More than 5 out of 6 pet parents (83.8%) say they find purpose and companionship in caring for their pet, and more than 4 out of 5 (82.5%) report their pet's health directly affects their own stress levels and emotional state. Nearly 4 in 5 (78.6%) go so far as to say they prioritize their pet's health and well-being much like their own.
These personal connections extend well beyond companionship and directly translate into the decisions that shape daily life. PerkyPet AI data found everyday routines are the most frequently cited area of influence for those with pets at 76.2%, followed by travel (45.7%), spending (43.8%) and social plans (40.5%). Today's pet parents make their daily plans with their pets in mind.
Unfortunately, the strong commitment to pet health doesn't eliminate the financial realities of caring for a pet and the obstacles it can create. More than 2 in 5 (41.7%) pet parents have delayed or skipped veterinary care due to financial pressures, while one quarter (23.7%) say an unexpected vet bill of any dollar amount would cause financial strain. The rate of delayed care decreases as income band increases, but it does not disappear. These findings highlight a challenging reality: While most pet parents will go to great lengths for their animals, financial constraints can make accessing the care they want to give difficult.
Cost, however, is not the only obstacle pet parents face. Despite feeling generally confident in caring for their pets, many still struggle with uncertainty when something seems wrong. Although most (79.8%) feel confident in their ability to determine when veterinary care is needed, more than 71% of that group say they struggle to judge whether they are overreacting or not doing enough for their pet when something seems off. This uncertainty often results in precautionary appointments, with the vast majority (83.4%) reporting at least one vet visit in the past year that ultimately proved unnecessary.
With uncertainty comes anxiety. Nearly half (47.2%) of pet parents say they worry about their pet's health and well-being every single day, while another 22.8% worry at least weekly. Only 1.2% of pet parents say they never worry about their pet's health.
Concern for pet's health highlights the importance of ongoing pet health monitoring between veterinary visits, though many pet parents find current methods are often disconnected and fall short. When asked how they track their pet's health between appointments, 19.4% rely on a running digital note, 17.4% use their vet's patient portal, 17.1% use a pet health app, 12.5% keep paper notes and 5% use other methods in an effort to understand their pet's well-being.
Despite these efforts, many pet parents still feel they lack the information they need when it matters most. More than 3 in 5 (61%) report that they often wish they had a better record of their pet's symptoms, habits or behavior changes when speaking with their veterinarian, and nearly three quarters (73.2%) believe better health records would make them more confident caring for their pet.
The desire for more confidence is driving pet parents to consider digital tools to manage their pet's health. More than 70% express interest in using technology to track their pet's health and behavior between veterinary visits. When asked what matters most in using a digital pet health monitoring tool, "ability to share information with a vet" ranked highest, with 40.1% placing it among their top two priorities. "Veterinarian oversight" was a close second (37.4%), followed by "cost savings on pet insurance and vet visits" (31.8%).
Pet parents' appetite for artificial intelligence tools is similarly pragmatic. According to PerkyPet AI survey data, nearly two thirds (65.9%) of pet parents agree that "AI could be helpful in pet health if it helped pet parents better understand when to seek veterinary care, without replacing the veterinarian." While interest is widespread, veterinary oversight is crucial, with 70.6% of respondents agreeing that "I would only use a pet health app if it was built with input from licensed veterinarians."
Today's pet parents are more engaged than ever in their pet's health but need more from modern pet care to ensure confidence between annual visits, recognize meaningful patterns or changes in their pet's health and empower more productive conversations with their veterinarian around their pet's overall well-being.
PerkyPet AI partnered with market research platform Pollfish to conduct a survey of 1,250 dog and cat parents in the U.S. 509 respondents had dogs, 265 had cats, and 476 had both dogs and cats. Respondents ranged from age 18 to 64 and were 52.4% male and 47.6% female.
This story was produced by PerkyPet AI and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
