Pet ‘wreckers’ cost owners £4bn a year

PET owners spend £4billion each year replacing or repairing items that their animals have wrecked, say researchers.

A quarter of the total goes on replacing or cleaning ripped or soiled sofas and cushions, followed by £140 million on ruined carpets and £104 million on damaged shoes.

The average pet owner pays £200 a year, with cat lovers faring the worst. They spend a total of £47 million more than dog owners.

Brock Abreu, brand manager of Frontline Plus, the flea and tick treatment company which carried out the survey, said: ‘It seems that UK pet owners love their pets so much they will forgive them anything.’