The German pet market grew slightly in 2010, with total sales of petfood and pet care products rising 0.8% to nearly 3.71 billion euro (US$5.3 billion), according to the Industrial Association of Pet Care Producers, IVH.

The prepared petfood segment also increased 0.8% in 2010, to nearly 2.78 billion euro (US$3.97 billion). The pet accessories segment saw sales growth of 0.7% to 930 million euro (US$1.33 billion).

IVH reported the strongest growth in the market for cat food in 2010, which is Germany's single largest segment in pet care, with a 2.9% increase in sales to 1.44 billion euro (US$2.05 billion). The snacks and cat milk segment achieved the highest gains of 8.3%, to 183 million euro (US$261.5 million). Dry food grew 3.0% to 312 million euros (US$445.9 million) and wet food increased 1.8% to 940 million euro (US$1.34 billion).

The market for dog food remained relatively unchanged, gaining 0.1% to 1.1 billion euro (US$1.57 billion). The snacks segment saw sales of 332 million euro (US$474.49 million), an increase of 3.4%. Both the dry food and wet food categories of dog food saw a decrease in sales for 2010, down 1.1% to 354 million euro (US$505.94 million) and down 1.4% to 416 million euro (US$594.55 million), respectively.

Sales of petfood in the categories of small animals fell 4.5% to 127 million euro (US$181.51 million), birds fell 7% to 53 million euro (US$75.75 million), and fish down 11.6% to 60 million euro(US$85.75 million), according to IVH.