Sustainability challenges in the Italian pet sector

Italy is home to 8.8 million dogs and 10 million cats, with an additional 1-2 million stray dogs and 2.5 million stray cats. Despite only 15% of dogs and < 1% of cats have a registered pedigree, the purebred animal market valued at €165-350 million per year. The Italian pet food industry generates €3 billion annually, selling 673,000 tons of pet food. Beyond food, Italians spend €100 million/year on cat litter and €85 million on accessories. A rough estimate for the impact of pet food sector alone is 1.4-3.8 Mt CO₂eq, accounting for 5-12% of agricultural emissions. It consumes 0.13-0.28 km³ of freshwater, equal to 0.8-1.7% of agricultural water use, while occupying 6-9% (1-1.5MHa) of Italy’s total agricultural area. Our pilot survey describes 60 Italian dogs and 56 Italian cats. Among dogs, 45% were purebred, including 15% with unregistered pedigrees, while 86% of cats were mixedbreed. Regarding diet, 73% of cat owners provided both dry and wet food, primarily poultry and fish-based, while 65% of dog owners fed only dry food, with ruminant proteins (beef, lamb) as the most common, followed by poultry and fish. Monthly food expenses ranged from €13-58 per cat and €35-60 per dog. Litter usage for cats varied between 4-10 kg per month, costing €5-19, but only 23% of owners purchasing litter chose biodegradable materials. Annual veterinary and medication costs ranged from €64-170 for cats and €160-400 for dogs. Additional costs included pet sitters, boarding, accessories, grooming, training, and insurance. These findings highlight economic and environmental challenges in pet ownership. Sustainable pet care requires multidisciplinary expertise, genetic management, and alternative proteins to reduce the pet food carbon footprint. Life Cycle Assessment should be applied across the supply chain, with environmental certification on packaging to promote sustainable choices. Italy should foster scientific innovation while ensuring environmental responsibility and ethical animal care. The future challenge is sustainable breeding and management of pets, safeguarding biodiversity and animal welfare within a One Health approach.