For years, the U.S. pet food business has been built around dogs, with cats treated as a smaller, secondary opportunity. Packaged Facts analysts suggest that this dynamic may be increasingly out of date as 2025 gives way to 2024. In “Pet Food in the US, 19th Edition (November 2025),” Packaged Facts reports that dog ownership has declined in recent years, especially among Gen X, Baby Boomer, and older senior households, while the number of cat-owning households has increased between 2021 and 2025. At the same time, cat ownership has held up better among older consumers than dog ownership, helping to stabilize and grow the feline base even as dog numbers retreat. Taken together, these shifts point to a “cat renaissance” with real consequences for how manufacturers and retailers plan their portfolios. Will it be a catalyst for change or a catastrophe?
Rise of the planet of the cats
The Packaged Facts executive summary notes that economic and demographic pressures are weighing more heavily on dog ownership than on cat ownership. Young adults facing high housing costs and student loan burdens, along with older adults managing mobility and health constraints, are more likely to choose cats because they are less physically demanding and often less expensive to keep. Between MRI-Simmons’ Spring 2021 and Spring 2025 survey releases, the number of cat-owning households increased, while dog ownership declined, particularly among Gen X, Boomers and older seniors. These pet population trends are also documented in Packaged Facts’ Pet Population & Ownership Trends in the US, 8th Edition (January 2025), which provides trended dog and cat ownership profiles by generation and household type.
Historically, marketers had good reasons to prioritize dogs. Dogs tend to be larger, eat more, and generate more revenue per household. Dog ownership also grew consistently for decades, reinforcing the dog-first bias. But if the core population that underpinned that model is flattening or shrinking, while cat ownership grows or holds steady, the old math starts to look out of date. Packaged Facts argues that the recent dog declines are not just a blip; they are rooted in structural factors such as high interest rates, housing affordability, and broader financial insecurity that will “have years-long implications” for dog food demand.
At the same time, pet owners continue to view food as central to health. In Packaged Facts’ January 2025 Survey of Pet Owners, 82% of cat owners and 79% of dog owners said pet food is an important pet health and wellness product, and 70% of dog and cat owners reported they are willing to pay more for foods with health and wellness benefits. That combination—more cats and a strong belief that food is medicine—creates fertile ground for cat-focused premium and functional innovation, even in a cautious economic climate.
Despite these emerging tailwinds, Packaged Facts emphasizes that cats still often come second in the market. Product assortments, marketing support, and format innovation remain skewed toward dogs. Fresh and gently cooked pet foods, which the report identifies as one of the fastest-growing segments, outpacing overall market growth, are still overwhelmingly dog-oriented, with cat offerings lagging far behind. Cat owners notice. According to the September 2025 Packaged Facts Survey of Pet Owners, 39% of cat owners agree that cats are treated like “second-class citizens” by makers of pet foods and treats.
Fresh, functional and feline innovation
The Packaged Facts report notes that fresh and gently cooked foods, along with freeze-dried and air-dried products, are key growth engines for dog food, and that cats have not yet benefited to the same extent. Fresh pet food (especially refrigerated and frozen “gently cooked” offerings) is growing fast enough on the dog side to lift overall dog food growth by more than one percentage point, and freeze-or air-dried foods are estimated to reach about US$2.4 billion in 2025 when combined as pure diets and inclusions. But many of the brands in these segments remain unapologetically dog-centric.
That leaves a wide opening. Cats are obligate carnivores with specific nutritional and sensory needs, and they have a reputation for finickiness that can challenge formulators. Packaged Facts notes that cat nutrition “requires a different approach than that for dogs,” including taste and texture profiles that reflect feline preferences. Brands willing to invest in feline-specific recipe development, palatability testing, and messaging around hydration, urinary tract health, and senior care could own high-growth niches in fresh, gently cooked, and freeze-dried cat food before they become saturated.
Health and wellness products targeted at specific ailments are another underdeveloped zone in cat food and treats. The report highlights high levels of interest in foods that address senior/anti-aging, digestive issues, skin and coat, and heart health, and it points to the large population of senior pets: as of 2025, senior cats (7+ years) were present in 51% of cat-owning households, representing about 16 million U.S. cat owners, according to MRI-Simmons data cited in the report. Against that backdrop, foods targeting renal function, weight management, and mobility for older cats are natural extensions of both health and demographic trends.
Packaged Facts frames the current environment as one where dog ownership is under structural pressure, economic challenges are forcing many households to reassess spending, and yet pet food remains a “resilient, health-driven category” expected to continue growing through 2029. Within that context, the cat renaissance may require a strategic response to where the pet population and consumer sentiment are actually moving.
Ultimately, Packaged Facts data suggest that dogs may be a shrinking target for brand growth. The households most likely to drive incremental pet food revenue in the coming years increasingly have cats, or cats alongside fewer or smaller dogs.
