Spoiling the Pooch.

BIG TRADE SHOW POINTS UP GROWING TENDENCY TO TREAT PETS LIKE KIDS

If you ever wondered whether society is going to the dogs, or the cats, wonder no more. It is.

Or at least it seemed that way at the Pet Industry Trade Show last week, where the latest gadgets and gizmos concocted for pets were on display at the Long Beach Convention Center.

The array of luxury pet products is testament to the exalted status dogs, cats and other animals have attained in America. There were catnip cigars, scented doghouses, chicken jerky for ferrets, play gyms for birds, deck shoes for dogs, aromatherapy products for pets, and faux-mink coats for canines.

There was Yesterday's News Cat Litter (made of shredded newspapers), foldaway pet carriers, baby books for pets and videotapes for cats.

It was hard to tell whether these products were for children or creatures.

"People are treating their pets like family instead of like farm animals," said Doug Poindexter, executive vice president of the World Wide Pet Supply Association, the Artesia-based organization that has been putting on the trade show for the past 50 years. "What used to be considered your barn cat is now your best friend."

Pampered pets translate into big business, particularly for the small-business entrepreneur who one day comes up with a crazy idea and months later is cranking out doggy pajamas.

Studies show that Americans are fond of pets and growing fonder every year. Americans spent $22.6 billion on the critters in 1996, the latest year for which figures are available. By next year, that is projected to hit $28.5 billion.

That gives people like Nuccio and PrimaRosa Falchi a glimmer of hope that their fake-fur coats for dogs will fill a niche.

The Falchis, who live in Las Vegas, used to make cashmere sweaters and raincoats for dogs. But during a trip to Italy a few years ago, their little bichon frise named Cino del Duca was shivering. 'Wouldn't it be nice for Cino to have a little fake fur?" they thought.

Employing an Italian couturier, they had a few capes designed in various sizes. They are made to look like leopard, lynx, mink, ermine, zebra and panther skins -- with a reversible fabric covered with polka dots.

The coats, which wholesale for $30 each, have been featured in Neiman Marcus' Christmas catalog and are popular among high-end pet stores.

Ann Wong, owner of a Hong Kong pet store, ordered several faux-fur capes from the Falchis before returning home. "This is perfect for Hong Kong because it is not too cold there. Hong Kong is a very high-class and elegant place, and the pet owners like the fancy things," Wong said. She was also shopping around for natural dog food and pet snacks.

The Falchis love customers like Wong, who help them sell 15,000 capes a year.

In a booth not far away from the Falchis sat another sky's-the-limit entrepreneur capitalizing on the pampered-pooch craze, Marianne Bertrand. Six years ago, the Toronto resident created Muttluks, booties for dogs, after sewing a pair for her Bassett hounds. The result was a $30 pair of leather booties for winter and later a lighter boot for summer to protect against hot surfaces like boat decks, sandy beaches and asphalt.

"In the first two weeks, I sold 130 sets of boots," said Bertrand, who exports 85 percent of her goods from Canada to the United States. "I knew I was on to something."

If dog booties seem a little on the frou-frou side, it could get worse. Consider the line of dog clothing that Sharon Day has whipped up: pink tutus and matching headgear, shiny black tuxedos, argyle sweaters, Santa Claus outfits and little red devil costumes.

Day, a Hollywood costume designer, was trying to figure out a way to creatively use her spare time between TV and movie gigs. Four years ago, using her two Boston terriers as models, she started sewing doggie duds in zany styles. Soon she had created the company Rag Dog.

She now makes everything from rain capes and denim jackets to doggie wedding dresses and aloha shirts. Pet stores such as Catts & Doggs in Silver Lake, Three Dog Bakery in Pasadena and Pet Spot in Brentwood stock her canine clothing.

Last year she sold 12,000 outfits. "I expect to double that this year," she said.

While doodads for dogs abound, so do products for cats. Ratherbee, a Philadelphia company, makes catnip treats that come in all shapes and sizes. There are catnip cigars, catnip bubbles, catnip carrots, and catnip tails. They've been sold to pet stores from Alaska to England, including the famed Harrod's department store in London.

"Most cats go crazy over catnip," said Ratherbee's distributor Roger Stemfeld, himself sporting a catnip bow tie. "Give them a catnip cigar and they play with it, drool over it and get knocked out by it. And it sells well, too."