Research - Evolution of Pet Magazines

Earliest Publications (1850-1900's)

    In the 1850's-1900's, pet magazines began as mainly informational magazines of small communities. Early magazines like "Our Cats" incorporated small, higher class people that could afford to have expensive breeds of animal. 

    

    These magazines usually had information about shows and breeds' information, making a more practical and high-class magazine for people who spent time going to dog and cat shows, a more wealthy audience at the time. Usually weekly magazines, they didn't acknowledge lifestyle or the enjoyment of animals, but their usefulness in breeding and keeping them aesthetically. 

A MORE COMICAL CONTEXT (1960-1980's)

    Later magazines began showing pets more comically as they were enjoyed more in lifestyle. In the 1970's, magazines began becoming more focused towards cuteness and silly themes in pet magazines.

    

    While continuing the informational tone about breeds and temperaments, they began including more comical and fun tones like in "CATastrophe", using puns and a silly cover image to introduce a new trend in pet magazines. Magazines during this time also began including articles about health and care rather than just breed information and news about them and local shows.

New types (1970's+)

    As exotic pets and including pets as part of a family became more popular, new subgenres of pet magazines emerged like reptilian, fish, and lifestyle magazines took surge of the market. 

    With a larger audience and more interest, pet magazines mixed with mainstream media to become more conventional in their design. Now incorporating more generic designs, these magazines attracted wide audiences with multiple subgenres. 

    These types of magazines also introduced the hobby behind pets, animals becoming a friend to train and take care of while also entertaining and providing love. Though this surge of more familial relationships with animals showed, healthcare and breed information persisted in these magazines, work animals still being present.

DECLINE AND DIGITAL TRANSITION (2000'S+)

    As magazine purchases declined, pet magazines moved with the industry to digital copies of magazines rather than print. Similarly, bimonthly publications were preferred to monthly or even weekly ones, being bought more often as audiences strayed from magazine reading, making bimonthly more efficient. 

    As comedic tones continued in magazines, more silly cover images and articles evolved while petcare persisted, with the veterinary industry being integrated into the mixture. Doggozila highlights this evolution with their funny personification of animals to create a perception of familial ties with animals while also keeping the comedic and cute effect of an animal in human clothes. 

Sources

https://doggozila.com/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reptiles_%28magazine%29

https://library.missouri.edu/specialcollections/exhibits/show/pet-magazines-2024/cats

https://www.cat-o-pedia.org/magazine-ourcats_1899.html