Over and over again, pet food has shown itself to be resilient in the face of economic adversity. The last five years have seen continued growth in the space, at least when it comes to revenue, and therein lies the rub — going on year six of riding a global economic rollercoaster, pet owners’ wallets are just as tired as they are. As consuming becomes a more and more expensive prospect all around, the fear is that pet food will finally begin taking the hits it has thus far avoided. Given the state of things halfway through 2025, what might the rest of the year look like?
According to a Nielsen IQ report, “The full view of the pet industry: A comprehensive analysis of consumers and product trends,” published in March 2025, the pet home is changing. There are now 1 billion pets globally, with an increased mix of pets that heavily favors cats: One in four global pet households now includes a cat. That’s not surprising, since cats routinely outnumber dogs in Asian countries and are a growing trend in other regions as costs of living increase and available space decreases.
