Ask Dr. Doolittle: How do you say “cheese” in pet speak?
Inquiring minds would like to know, as a new survey of 2,000 cat and dog owners reveals that one in four pet parents hopes to turn their fur baby into a social media sensation.
Many admitted that their pet’s profile has already exceeded the number of followers of their own personal page, with an average count of 925 fans on the platform. That means the work paid off for 89% of owners, who reported spending more time on their pets’ profiles than their own.
New research by pet insurer ManyPets also showed that more than one-third — 35% — of them have created accounts for their pets to show them off to animal lovers online.
Meanwhile, 40% of respondents said they preferred to fill their own feeds with their furry friends even more than snaps of themselves, family members or human friends.
Indeed, two-thirds confessed that their pet is included among their best friends, while half fessing-up to spending more time with pals of the animal persuasion than they do with their own family.
The findings are a result of the booming pet-fluencer community on social media platforms such as Instagram, as Fluffy and Fido’s fame brings potential sponsorships and savings for the most popular pets.
Loni Edwards, author and founder of the Dog Agency and PetCon, wrote the book on how to make your pet Insta-famous. She’s said that top pet-fluencers are making $15,000 per post or more — such as the late Grumpy Cat, whose net worth reached an estimated $100 million before he passed away in 2019.
“The biggest takeaway is that the majority of these influencers fell into it and they’re doing something they love, and that comes through in the content and makes people happy,” she told The Post in 2021. “You build a community of people that have similar passions to you.”