Pet Food Manufacturers' Association (PFMA) chiefs say this means that the UK now has 17 million pet-owning homes, with the majority owning either a cat or a dog – or both.
There are now around 12million pet cats in the UK, comprising a range of popular breeds.
Of course, once you’ve decided to add feline friend to your family, there’s the tricky business of what to call your new ball of fur.
Insurance company GoCompare has carried out some research into the most popular cat names.
Here are the top 10.
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. Cats
These are the cat names that have proved most popular over lockdown. Photo: Canva/Getty Images
1. Luna
Perhaps surprisingly, the most popular name for a new kitten over lockdown was also the most popular puppy name - Luna. It means 'moon' in Latin. Photo: Canva/Getty Images
2. Milo
Milo is the second most popular cat name in the UK. There's even a famous feline Milo - the titular kitty character in 1986 movie 'The Adventures of Milo and Otis'. Photo: Canva/Getty Images
3. Simba
It's perhaps no surprise that Simba is a popular choice since it's the name of one of the most well known Hollywood cat characters - the Lion King himself. Photo: Canva/Getty Images
4. Nala
Another Lion King character, Nala is the fourth most popular lockdown kitten name and was Simba's best friend. Another cat called Nala has an impressive 4.3million followers on Instagram. Photo: Canva/Getty Images