Cat Owners Lift Pet Retailers as Dog Sales Keep Sliding

General Mills reported double-digit percentage growth in cat food sales on Wednesday, while its dog food sales fell by a high single-digit percentage. The split captures the defining trend in the U.S. pet industry right now: cats are carrying the business, and dogs are dragging on it.

General Mills, Chewy and Petco Health and Wellness Company all called out cat products as a strength in their most recent quarterly earnings calls, even as budget-pressed consumers keep a close eye on spending amid rising fuel and grocery prices. Dog product sales, by contrast, continue to soften across the sector.

The demand shift tracks ownership data. The American Pet Products Association found a 5% increase in cat ownership in 2025, with an estimated 53 million households keeping cats. That modest gain followed a 23% surge in cat ownership in 2024.

Executives in the space point to practical drivers behind the trend. Cats are easier and cheaper to care for than dogs, and they can live comfortably in smaller enclosed spaces such as apartments, making them a natural fit for renters.

At General Mills, the contrasting cat-and-dog dynamics left the company's North America pet segment posting net sales roughly in line with the year-ago period. CEO Jeff Harmening told analysts on Wednesday's earnings call that the sales trend reflected the fact that Americans are adopting more cats and fewer dogs.

Chief Operating Officer Dana McNabb, however, pushed back on the idea that pet ownership trends alone explain the company's dog food weakness. "We really have to relook at the entire proposition of the product, the packaging, the marketing, the communication, we have work to do," she said. "And we had the same challenge on our cat Tastefuls business a few years ago, and it took us about 18 to 24 months to improve it, and that business is back to growth now."

Her comment signals General Mills believes the dog business can be fixed — but on a timeline measured in years, not quarters.

Chewy is seeing the same divergence. On a Sept. 9 earnings call, CEO Sumit Singh described the company's pet segments bluntly: "dog seems to be worsening; cat seems to be strengthening."

Petco reported strong cat product sales in its second quarter and highlighted the launch of its cat treat brand Candy Shop on a Sept. 2 earnings call. CEO Joel D. Anderson said the new products are doing exactly what the company hoped when it repositioned the business toward cats after watching industry data.

"In the second quarter, we introduced new high-impact brands that resonate strongly with cat parents, generating nice gains across consumables, supplements, bedding and furniture," Anderson said.

He acknowledged the dog side of the business remains a problem but framed the cat strength as proof that Petco's diversification strategy is working.

"The dog business is still soft. Adoptions are down slightly," Anderson said. "It just shows for you why it's so important to be diversified. And with us having great trends in cat, really growing companion animal, our services business is growing. We've got a lot of diversification to not rely solely on dog."

For pet food makers and retailers, the playbook is now visible: chase the cat owner. With cat ownership up 5% this year on top of a 23% jump in 2024, and dog adoption softening, companies that move fastest to rebuild their feline assortments — as Petco has with Candy Shop and General Mills did with Tiki Cat and Tastefuls — are best positioned to offset a dog business that may stay weak for another 18 to 24 months.