Compared to a control group, cats killed fewer wild animals in the groups that ate high-protein diets and that played with their owners. Those two groups of cats also brought down less prey than before the experiment began.

Human food trends arose from people’s intentions to eat as our Paleolithic, or Stone Age, ancestors did, and these trends transferred to pet food.

Feeding and health intertwine in pet obesity, one area where cat owners’ perceptions may be wrong. Reported body conditions scores (BCS) in Dodd’s study didn’t match up with companion animal obesity statistics collected by the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention and other groups.

In 2020, pet food suppliers, producers, packagers and others continued to explore ways to alter production processes and use resources in ways that will allow future generations to enjoy a lifestyle at least as comfortable as our own.

The 2020 pandemic has brought both pet owners’ desires for sustainable products and their use of e-commerce channels for product purchasing into sharp relief.

As sustainability claims have become a mainstream marketing message in pet food, the meaning of that message may have diverged among both pet owners and pet food professionals.