经济学人 | 你会给你的宠物买古龙香水吗？

People are splurging like never before on their pets

人们越来越舍得为宠物花钱了

Would you buy your furry companion a cologne?

你会给你的宠物买古龙香水吗？

Among the products of DOG by Dr Lisa, an Australian pet-care brand, you will find a cleanser for sensitive skin, a soothing balm and a cologne. All are free of genetically modified ingredients—and vegan, which dogs are not, at least by choice. 

在澳大利亚宠物护理品牌“丽莎博士的狗狗”用品系列中，你可以发现专为敏感皮肤设计的清洁剂、舒缓效果的膏体以及精致的古龙香水。这一系列产品的亮点在于，它们全部不含转基因成分，且均为纯素食配方，尽管狗狗们并非出于自愿选择成为素食者。

Still, canines craving meat need not eat like animals: Butternut Box, a maker of fresh pet food taste-tested by humans, can offer your furry friend a low-fat chicken dish with peas, lentils and “a whiff of sage”. It is the most popular meal it offers.

即便如此，对于那些渴望品尝肉食的狗狗而言，它们也不必像野生动物那样觅食：Butternut Box，一家以人类口味为标准进行测试的新鲜宠物食品制造商，精心准备了低脂鸡肉搭配豌豆、扁豆及“一抹鼠尾草香”的特色佳肴，成为了该品牌最受欢迎的产品之一。

There is little, it seems, that people won’t do for their pets. Americans spent $186bn on them last year, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis, covering everything from food and vet visits to toys and grooming. That is more than they spent on childcare. Catering to pets has become big business. 

人们似乎对宠物宠爱至极，几乎愿意为它们倾尽所有。根据美国经济分析局提供的数据，去年美国人在宠物相关领域的消费高达1860亿美元，涵盖了宠物食品、兽医诊疗、玩具、美容等多个方面。这一数字甚至超过了他们在育儿上的投入，宠物护理已悄然成为一门庞大的产业。

Mars, a company best known for its chocolate bars, made two-thirds of its revenue last year from pet-care. Besides owning the Royal Canin pet-food brand, the company also operates thousands of vet clinics. Nestlé and Colgate, two other consumer-products giants, also make around a fifth of their revenue from their pet divisions.

玛氏，这家以巧克力棒闻名的公司，其去年三分之二的营收便来源于宠物护理业务。除了拥有Royal Canin这一知名宠物食品品牌外，玛氏还经营着数千家兽医诊所。同样，雀巢与高露洁这两大消费品巨头也有大约五分之一的营收来自宠物部门。

Spending on pets rocketed through the covid-19 pandemic, as lonely people adopted animals then splurged on them. Between 2019 and 2023 pet spending grew by a compound annual rate of 11%, in nominal terms, compared with 6% for consumer spending overall and 5% for pet spending over the preceding decade (see chart). Plenty more growth is yet to come.

在新冠疫情期间，孤独感促使更多人选择领养宠物，并在宠物身上慷慨解囊，宠物支出因此急剧攀升。从2019年至2023年，宠物支出的复合年增长率达到了11%，相比之下，同期总体消费者支出的增长率仅为6%，而前十年的宠物支出增长率则为5%。未来，这一领域仍有巨大的增长空间等待挖掘。

Unlike virtual yoga classes or meal-kit subscriptions, animals weren’t easy to drop once lockdowns ended. Consumers, grappling lately with higher prices and a cooling job market, have been reluctant to inflict austerity on their pets. 

与虚拟瑜伽课或膳食套餐服务等不同，疫情解封后，宠物很少遭到遗弃。近期，尽管消费者面临着物价上涨和就业市场降温的双重挑战，但他们依然不愿在宠物身上实施紧缩政策。

Morgan Stanley, a bank, reckons pet spending in America will grow by 2.5% this year, well ahead of estimates for, say, clothes. The pet business proved similarly resilient during the global financial crisis of 2007-09.

摩根士丹利银行预测，今年美国的宠物支出将增长2.5%，这一增速远高于服装等其他行业。事实上，早在2007至2009年全球金融危机期间，宠物行业就已展现出了类似的韧性。

And analysts reckon the pet business will soon have the zoomies again. Morgan Stanley forecasts that annual spending will rise to around $260bn by 2030, consistent with its pre-pandemic growth trend. Behind that is a shift in the relationship between pets and humans. 

分析师认为，宠物行业很快将再次迎来快速增长的黄金时期。摩根士丹利预测，到2030年，年度宠物支出将增至约2600亿美元，这一增长趋势与疫情前保持一致。这一趋势背后，是宠物与人类关系的深刻转变。

Owners increasingly see themselves as parents, not masters. “Pets have gone from the backyard to the living room to the bedroom,” says Loïc Moutault, head of the pet division at Mars.

如今，人们越来越多地将自己视为宠物的父母，而非单纯的主人。玛氏宠物部门负责人洛伊克·穆托指出：“宠物已经从后院走进了客厅，甚至进入了卧室。”

That change is playing out across generations. Millennials, many of whom have put off having children, have more fur babies per household than any other generation in America. 

这种变化正在不同年龄层中逐渐显现。千禧一代中的许多人推迟了生育计划，但他们每个家庭拥有的宠物数量却超过了美国其他任何一代人。

Gen Z is proving to be equally pet-loving. “Millennials and Gen Z see their pets differently,” says Kristin Peck, chief executive of Zoetis, a drugmaker for animals. “They really see them as part of their families.”

Z世代的年轻人同样对宠物充满了热爱。动物制药公司硕腾的首席执行官克里斯汀·佩克表示：“千禧一代和Z世代对宠物的看法截然不同，他们真正将宠物视为家庭的一份子。”

Dogs, cats and other animals lucky enough to be welcomed into such families are in for a treat. Younger owners might take their pets to the vet more often, to the animals’ dismay, but they make up for it by giving them more presents. 

那些有幸被这样充满爱的家庭接纳的狗、猫以及其他动物，无疑会受到特别的宠爱。年轻的主人可能会更加频繁地带宠物去看兽医，尽管这有时会让动物们感到些许沮丧，但他们会通过赠送更多礼物来弥补这一点。

Some 95% of Gen Z owners surveyed last year by the American Pet Products Association, an industry group, said they bought their dog a gift at least once a year, compared with 81% of boomers. The average cost of those gifts was a lavish $44 among Gen Z owners, compared with $17 among boomers.

行业组织美国宠物用品协会去年对Z世代宠物主人进行了一项调查，结果显示，约95%的Z世代宠物主人会为宠物购买礼物，相比之下，婴儿潮一代的这一比例仅为81%。在Z世代的宠物主人中，这些礼物的平均花费高达44美元，而婴儿潮一代的平均花费仅为17美元。

重难点词汇：

splurge [splərdʒ] n./v. 挥霍；浪费；铺张

furry [ˈfɜːri] adj. 毛茸茸的；绒毛状的

whiff [wɪf] n. 一阵气味；一股臭味 v. 嗅；闻

subscription [səbˈskrɪpʃn] n. 订阅；订购；捐赠；署名；签署

苏格拉底有一句名言：我知我无知。说的是，当你认识到的东西越多就越发现自己无知。苏格拉底认为，人对于客观世界的认识是有限的，且不可能完全认识客观世界，并且不应对客观世界刨根究底。神对于世界的规划自有安排，若人一意孤行地探索世界和自然的奥秘，则最终将亵渎甚至触怒神明。正因为人对神所构建的世界不可能实现完全认知，因此那些宣称自己能够认识和改造世界的人，本身便是无知的代言。尽管苏格拉底的关于“ 我知我无知”的观念的解读，在现在看来有失客观科学。但至少苏格拉底告诫人们，人的认知是有限的，现有的知识甚至可能存在错误和疏漏。同样地，我们在求学之路上也要报以我知我不知的心态，才能走得更远。最后，祝愿莘莘学子都能终有所成！