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Market Coverage
This Nextin™ report spans the full cat nutrition and wellness landscape, from tomorrow’s cat trends to how you can capture greater cat market share.
Cat Food Trend Forecast: format adoption across wet, dry, and fresh; life-stage purchase patterns; fresh cat food growth; first-ingredient and protein priorities; functional ingredients including biotics; the qualities and benefits that drive cat food selection
Tomorrow’s Cat Treat Trends: cat treat purchase behaviors, premium treat interest and adoption, functional cat treat opportunities, lickable cat treat trends, and multi-treat behaviors
The Evolution of Cat Supplements: purchase drivers and decision attributes, how ingredients influence perception, preferred cat supplement delivery systems and formats, retail channel behaviors, and cross-category purchases
Demand for Cat Dental Care: dental-product adoption, benefit drivers, cross-category connections, retail channels, and demand signals that point to market opportunity in pet
Cat Market Segmentation: consumer segmentation, values-driven and sustainability attitudes among cat owners, information sources, purchase influencers, retail channel trends, and wellness ecosystem mapping
Table of Contents
A forward-looking, comprehensive analysis of cat market trends across food, treats, supplements, and dental care.
Report includes dynamic charts and data tables, plus Nextin Demand Signals that allow you to toggle and navigate select cat survey data. Product innovation concepts and visualized protocepts are designed to accelerate ideation.
Nextin Cat Market Insights Report
Introduction
Nextin™ Protocept
Executive Summary
Methodology and Reading Guide
Cat Owners at a Glance
Cat Market Insights
The Path to Purchase for Cat Owners
Cat Product Categories Purchased
Top Sources of Cat Health and Nutrition Information
Benefits That Motivated Cat Food, Treat, or Supplement Purchase
Retail Channels for Cat Product Purchases
Cat Parent Psychographics
Corporate Responsibility Initiatives and Influence
Sustainability Influences on Cat Nutrition Purchases
Cat Food Trends and Opportunities
Life Stage-Specific Cat Food Purchases, Prior Month
Food Types and Additions to Cats’ Meals, Prior Month
First Ingredient Influence on Cat Food Purchases
Influence of Biotics, Other Functional Ingredients on Cat Food Purchases
Most Important Qualities in Cat Food
Consumer Interest in Cat Foods by Benefit
Fresh Cat Food Demand Signals
Cat Treat Trends and Opportunities
Cat Treat Types Fed, Prior Month
Premium Cat Treats: Consumer Interest and Adoption
Functional Treats: Consumer Interest and Adoption
Functional Cat Treat Demand Signals
Cat Supplement Trends and Opportunities
Cross-Category Purchases by Cat Supplement Subgroup
Attributes Guiding the Path to Cat Supplement Purchases
Benefits That Motivate Cat Product Purchase, Prior 12 Months
Ingredients Associated with Positive Health Benefits for Cats
Ingredients Researched for >1 Hour, Prior 12 Months
Supplement Formats Preferred by Cat Supplement Purchasers
Retail Channels Shopped by Cat Supplement Purchasers
Cat Supplement Demand Signals
Cat Dental Trends and Opportunities
Cross-Category Purchases by Dental-Product Purchasers
Benefits That Motivate Cat Product Purchase, Prior 12 Months
Retail Channels for Cat Product Purchases, Prior 12 Months
Cat Dental Demand Signals
Nextin Innovator’s Toolkit
Ready-to-explore product innovation concepts grounded in fresh consumer data and evolving cat trends.
Appendix
Cat Owner Demographics
What’s Next?
Glossary
About Nextin Research
About MarketPlace
Innovator's Toolkit
Your source of inspiration, guided by Nextin Research. Interactive tools and visualized product concepts display more than data—they surface opportunities to grow your share of the pet market.
Demand Signals: dynamically navigate consumer demand in the cat market, like purchase-driving benefits, ingredients, and delivery systems
Innovator’s Toolkit: accelerate your next innovation workshop with ready-to-explore product concepts grounded in consumer data and evolving cat trends
Exploratory Protocepts: see product innovation concepts that help you visualize tomorrow’s cat market trends today
Dynamic Charts
Content
INSIGHTS PREVIEW
Intelligence You Can Act On
What’s next in cat trends?
69% of cat owners purchased treats in the prior 12 months, but only 26% report feeding lickable treats, a fast-growing squeezable tube-or-pouch format.
This purchase behavior flags some of the most active buyers in the cat market: “Lickable Treat Purchasers.”
The 26% of cat owners feeding lickable treats are more than cat treat buyers, they’re dramatically more engaged across the cat market:
1.5x more likely to buy scratchers than average
1.47x more likely to purchase cat supplements
1.44x more likely to buy cat grooming products than average
1.28x more likely to purchase cat toys than the average cat owner
Strategic implication: Lickable cat treat trial packs can be high-velocity entry points to the cat market’s most engaged buyers. This report identifies which benefits, formats, and channels turn that signal into cross-category sales.
The full cat report includes 8+ consumer segments, plus dynamic cross-tabulations that reveal audience-specific opportunities.
WHO IT'S FOR
This Nextin Cat Market Report is designed for pet industry professionals who need current, validated consumer insights to anticipate cat market trends and inform high-stakes decisions.
Forward-looking Cat Market Trends for Strategic Decision-Makers
Product Development and Innovation Teams
Identify which need-states, ingredients, and delivery formats are gaining consumer traction to prioritize formulation and format strategies grounded in demand data.
Brand and Marketing Teams
Validate new cat product concepts and refine positioning with consumer insights that focus on the feline market.
Ingredient Suppliers
From cat dental care to weight management, identify which functional benefits are gaining traction and which ingredients cat owners are seeking in pet nutrition products.
Retailers and Buyers
Understand cross-category purchase behaviors and the omnichannel mix to optimize pet product assortment and drive new product trial.
Investors and Analysts
Assess growth potential in the cat category with primary consumer data on adoption curves, conversion gaps, and willingness to pay.
Executives and Innovation Leaders
Inform long-term vision and growth strategy with cat trends that futurecast demand before it reaches shelves.
Our Reports are Cited and Sourced by Leading Brands and Organizations in Pet Nutrition and Care
METHODOLOGY
This Nextin Report features proprietary data from an April 2025 survey conducted by Nextin Research. The online panel comprised 1,213 U.S. adults aged 18 and older who report owning at least one cat (“cat owners,” “cat parents,” “pet parents”). Panelists, also referred to as “cat owners” or “cat parents,” were screened to include only respondents who reported making pet product purchase decisions. Behaviors such as “purchases” are self-reported and reflect the prior 12 months unless otherwise noted.
Research design, programming, fieldwork, and analysis were conducted by Nextin Research, the syndicated research arm of strategic advisory and brand activation firm MarketPlace. Samples for these studies are sourced through Dynata, the world’s largest first-party data provider. Original sampling is balanced for gender and region according to the U.S. census. All data is reported in the aggregate except where otherwise noted.
Results reflect a balanced, non-probability sample. For directional reference, a probability sample of equivalent size would carry a margin of error of approximately ±2.8% at the 95% confidence level for the total sample (n=1,213). Differences between consumer groups are tested for significance at p ﹤ 0.05.
KEY CONTRIBUTORS
Jon Copeland, Research Manager
Nicole Hill, VP of Strategy, Insights, & Innovation
Shelby White, Group Creative Director
Christine Van Dyke, Sr. Art Director
Rose Broyles, Insights Associate
Ami Novak, Resource & Project Manager
