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'Our cats are part of our family': Aussies set to spend $71 million on their cats this festive season

By Kristine Tarbert|

Despite the ongoing cost of living pressures, it seems Aussie pet owners are still keen to show their furry family members how much they love them this Christmas.

In fact, new research from Fancy Feast has revealed feline families, for example, will spend more than $71 million on their cats this festive season จC that's an average of 2.4 gifts per cat.?

Christmas is often a time for family bonding and traditions, with 80 per cent of cat owners saying their felines will feature in their own 'unique' family traditions.

Self-confessed crazy cat lady Jessica Rowe is one such pet lover, opening up to 9Honey Pets about how she is celebrating the festive season with her beloved cats, Freddy and Daisy.

READ MORE: Half of Aussie pet owners would lie to work to care for their sick pet

jessica rowe cats christmas
Self-confessed crazy cat lady Jessica Rowe can't wait to celebrate Christmas with her two cats. (Supplied)

"We are hosting Chrissie this year at our place, which is so exciting and we've got all of Pete's family coming around. Last year it was my family," Rowe tells us.

This will be the first Christmas for their newest addition Freddy, after they welcomed him into the family earlier this year.

?"I don't want to jinx anything, but Freddy is amazing. Christmas is new for him. And I've got this giant Christmas tree that I'm so excited about that I've put up, and he is pretty happy to curl up under it," she says.

"Daisy is very regal. She just surveys everything from above. Whereas Freddy loves to hang out. He's almost a little dog-like in that way. He likes to be where the action is. So he's going to be thrilled to be amongst is all, and amongst the wrapping paper."

READ MORE: Two thirds of Aussie pet owners don't know how much they spend a year

jessica rowe cats christmas
Both Freddy and Daisy are part of the Christmas celebrations. (Supplied)

The research also showed toys top the gift list, with more than 6.2 million purr-fect presents set to sit under the tree.

On average, Australian cat owners plan to spend $27 on their cat this Christmas, with one in eight planning on spending more than $50.

Rowe says she's already been spoiling her cats with a special ?Fancy Feast advent calendar, with more goodies ready for the big day.

"So each day they open up that and then they'll have something special on Christmas Day. I've got some Santa Paws sacks for them, which I do every year. I like to put some toys and some food treats in there," she explains.

"And on the tree this year I've put pictures of the cat's faces in ornaments. And so each year I'll do something like that."

jessica rowe cats christmas
They each get a Santa Paws sack stuffed with treats for Christmas. (Supplied)

Of course with all this spoiling one could risk leaving the human children feeling a little jealous. But Rowe says there's "no chance" of that with daughters Allegra, 15, and Giselle, 13.

"They already love pussycats and have since they were tiny, because that's what they've grown up with," she says.

Despite everything that's going on in the world Rowe wants people to make sure they are enjoying Christmas exactly how they want to จC especially if that means including their pets.

?"Don't put the pressure on yourself this year, or any year really. I'm very mindful that Christmas can be a fraught time for many families and it can bring up a lot of stuff so you want to just keep it as stress free as possible and celebrate it the best way you want," she says.

"And for many people that might be with with their pets, and they're happy to celebrate with their beautiful animals, because you know our pussycats are part of our family and we love celebrating with them."

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