Another Way to Express the People-Pet Bond
By Susan Bard Hall
Both large and boutique greeting card companies are taking their cue from the growing number of cats (and dogs) as pets as well as the growing importance that pets play in our lives to introduce pet-related or themed greeting cards. While cats have long graced greeting card covers, it is only recently that card companies have designed special lines to be sent from cat to cat owner; from cat owner to cat; as well as from cat lover to fellow cat lover.
Several theories have been batted around as to why the number of pets and pet owners have increased. One is that pets can be substitutes for human companionship. Many couples are marrying later and having smaller families, or choosing not to have children altogether. There also are single-person households and empty-nesters. In all of these scenarios, pets seem to fulfill our need for unconditional love.
The Pet Love Greetings line from Hallmark Cards, Inc., introduced in 1998, is one of the most visible ways that the Kansas City, Mo. company helps consumers express their fondness for their four-legged friends, explained Rachel Bolton of the Marketing Media Relations Department. It features more than 90 different cards and gifts, adoption certificates, birthday greetings, seasonal selections, gift bags, note pads, photo albums, cat and dog rescue stickers (to alert authorities in the case of an emergency), and even computer mousepads.
