Industry News · MEOW! Franchise Insights · Pet Industry Trends
As the pet care landscape continues to evolve, one trend is capturing attention: the rise of what Euromonitor International calls feline favoritism. Consumers are increasingly choosing cats — and specialized in-home cat care is more sought after as a result.
Euromonitor’s World Market for Pet Care 2025 report values the global pet care market at USD 207 billion, and identifies cat food as the category driving growth.
Dog food · 2020–2025
3.8%
Compound annual growth rate over the five-year period.
Cat food · 2020–2025
6.0%
The fastest growing category in the global pet care market, per Euromonitor.
Euromonitor attributes the shift largely to cost: cats are lower maintenance and less expensive to keep, and dog ownership costs have risen — particularly for larger dogs.
Large dogs, share of North American dog population
Expected to fall from 32% in 2020 to 27% by 2030 — a concrete signal that household pet choices are changing in traditionally dog-centric markets.
Worth being precise about
The strongest cat growth is in Asia Pacific, where cat food is forecast to reach 56% of dog and cat food value by 2030. North America is shifting, but dog food is still projected at 68% of that market.
That second point matters, and I’d rather state it plainly than oversell. North America remains a dog-centric market in absolute terms. What’s changing is the direction of travel and the size of the underserved gap — and for a business built entirely around cats, direction and gap are what create the opportunity.
Growing demand
As more households adopt cats and prioritize their comfort and care at home, the market for cat-focused services expands with it.
Niche positioning
Rather than offering broad pet sitting that competes with thousands of dog-walking businesses, a cats-only in-home model serves a segment that’s still underserved.
One honest caveat from the same report: Euromonitor’s pet care analyst also notes that economic pressure is a real headwind, and that consumer patience with rising prices is wearing thin. Cat care isn’t immune to that. What it has going for it is that the underlying need doesn’t pause — cats still need care every time their people leave town.
Cat-centric households want trusted, professional in-home care. No kennels, no cages, no carrier ride — just personalized feline expertise delivered where the cat already lives. That’s the entire model, and it lines up with where the market is heading rather than requiring us to adapt to it.
The world isn’t just pet-care savvy anymore. It’s becoming cat-care focused.
Ownership opportunities in select markets
Interested in aligning with a global shift?
Tell us the city and state you have in mind and we’ll follow up personally. Connect with us today, or read the steps to ownership first.
This post is for informational purposes only and does not constitute an offer to sell, or the solicitation of an offer to buy, a franchise. An offer may be made only through delivery of a Franchise Disclosure Document in compliance with applicable law. Market figures cited above describe the global pet care sector and are not representations of the financial performance of any MEOW! franchise.
Source
More from the MEOW! Journal
