Economy

As higher prices for gas and food has consumers sharpening their budgets for the months ahead, it looks like their cuddly pets aren't immune to the cutbacks.

Over the four-weeks that ended April 9, sales of pet supplies — in other words non-food items that pets don't need to live — fell 1.9%, according to the latest data from Nielsen. That's a sharp drop-off from the 12-week average increase of 3.6%.

Pet grooming sales also plunged 19.2% while dog accessories fell 12.1% and pet bed sales declined 12.7%. The lone increase of any size came in cat litter, which saw an 11.7% gain.