New research shows that more than one in ten Britons have lost a pet in the last five years - highlighting the importance of pet insurance, according to Sainsbury's Finance.
Millions of Britons have seen a pet go missing in the last five years, according to a new study from Sainsbury's Finance.
More than one in ten cat owners have lost their pet while four percent of dog owners have also suffered from the same situation - amounting to 3.8 million people. Worryingly, one in five of this group thought their animal had been stolen, with a quarter adamant that this was the case.
"It's a huge worry that so many cats and dogs are going missing, and very alarming that such a large number of pet owners believe their pet was stolen," said Sainsbury's Pet Insurance manager Lucy Hunter. "Given our findings and the fact that the Pets Bureau says that a third of dogs reported as missing are recorded as stolen, pet-knapping is a very real crime that should be taken seriously."
These findings should lead owners to choose their pet insurance policy carefully, according to Ms Hunter, particularly as almost half of these missing pets either did not return or were found dead.
"It's worth noting that not all pet insurance polices recognise the importance of providing support in the form of advertising or reward benefits to owners who have lost their pet," she explained.
