Cat Ownership Reaches 53 Million US Households as APPA Reports Multi-Cat Homes and Male Owners Drive Spending
Executive Summary. Cat ownership in the United States reached 53 million households in 2025 — 39% of all homes and a 5% increase over 2024 — according to APPA’s 2026 Cat Report, released 15 September 2026 and reported by Petfood Industry. The growth is coming less from first-time owners than from households adding a second or third cat: three-plus-cat homes are up 45% since 2018. Owners spent an average of $337.53 on cat food, up 9%.
Key Facts
- Industry
- Pet products and services — companion animal (cats)
- Country
- United States
- Category
- Ownership, demographics, food spend
- Event
- Publication of APPA’s 2026 Cat Report (2025 National Pet Owners Survey)
- Date
- 2026-09-15
- Location
- United States
- Organisation
- American Pet Products Association (APPA)
- Source
- APPA 2026 Cat Report; Petfood Industry
What Happened
The American Pet Products Association published its 2026 Cat Report on 15 September 2026, drawing on the 2025 National Pet Owners Survey. The headline: 53 million US households own cats, 39% of all households, up 5% year on year after a 23% jump in 2024. APPA President and CEO Pete Scott framed the growth as broad-based rather than a single demographic: new households entering the category, existing owners adding cats, and younger and male owners changing expectations around care and nutrition.
Two consumer groups stand out. Men are now 43% of US cat owners, and Gen Z accounts for 22%, up 10% year on year. Gen Z male cat ownership rose 27% year on year, and the share of men with three or more cats is up 117% since 2018.
Background
Cats have quietly become the growth engine of the US companion animal market. They are cheaper to keep than dogs, they fit smaller homes and busier schedules, and they convert well to e-commerce because litter and dry food are heavy, repeatable, subscription-friendly purchases. APPA has run the National Pet Owners Survey since 1988 and splits it into eight annual reports, which is why the multi-year comparisons in this edition — 45% growth in three-plus-cat households since 2018 — are worth more than the single-year figure.
Industry Context
The pet market usa picture that emerges is one of volume growth with a mix shift. A household with three cats does not simply buy three times as much food; it buys differently — more litter capacity, more vertical territory, more portion-controlled wet formats, and more products aimed at reducing friction between animals. That is where the spend data points: average annual cat food spend reached $337.53 in 2025, up 9%, and APPA notes owners are buying food and treats for variety, convenience and personalisation rather than plain replenishment.
Channel behaviour is splitting too. Nearly half of Gen Z cat owners buy cat food at supermarkets, while e-commerce-only purchasing keeps growing — and male owners are shopping pet specialty and online in addition to grocery. For manufacturers and distributors, that means the same brand now has to win three different shelves.
Market & Business Impact
The clearest commercial consequence is in hard goods. Multi-cat households drive unit demand for litter boxes, scratching posts and vertical furniture far faster than they drive food volume, because each additional cat adds territory rather than just calories. Suppliers listed as cat trees manufacturers are the direct beneficiaries: a three-cat home is a structural product problem, not a feeding problem, and it is usually solved with height and separate resources. The same logic lifts cat toys manufacturers, since enrichment buying scales with the number of animals in the home, and cat treats manufacturers, which sit at the intersection of APPA’s two findings — treats used for personalisation, and more cats per household to personalise for.
GPI’s directory lists hundreds of suppliers in each of these segments; the GlobalPetIndex company index is the fastest way to see which of them ship into the US.
Companies & Brands Involved
APPA is the source, not a participant — a trade association whose survey has been the reference series for US pet ownership since 1988. The commercial read-through lands on manufacturers and retailers serving multi-cat homes: furniture and litter system makers, wet-food and topper producers, and the pet-specialty and online channels that male and Gen Z owners are shifting toward. Pete Scott’s comments on personalisation and “stronger emotional bonds” describe a category where premiumisation is being pulled by owners under 30 rather than by the traditional empty-nester buyer.
Data & Evidence
Figures are from APPA’s 2026 Cat Report (2025 National Pet Owners Survey), reported by Petfood Industry on 15 September 2026: 53 million cat-owning households (39% of US households), +5% YoY; +23% growth in 2024; two-cat households +7% YoY and +16% since 2018; three-plus-cat households +7% YoY and +45% since 2018; average annual cat food spend $337.53, +9% YoY; men 43% of cat owners; Gen Z 22% of cat owners, +10% YoY; Gen Z male ownership +27% YoY; three-plus-cat ownership among men +117% since 2018; mixer and topper purchases by male owners +214% since 2018; ownership of three-plus cats among Gen Z +14%.
What This Means for the Pet Industry
GPI’s view: the number to plan against is not 53 million households, it is the 45% rise in three-plus-cat homes since 2018. That single line item re-orders the category. Multi-cat homes buy more units of everything environmental and less per-cat food than a single-cat home, so the growth accrues disproportionately to hard goods and wet/toppers rather than to big-bag dry food. Suppliers still organised around a one-cat-per-household model will misread the demand signal.
The second observation is that the buyer has changed faster than the merchandising. Men at 43% of owners and Gen Z at 22% are buying premium formats, using mixers and toppers, and splitting purchases across grocery, pet specialty and online. Brands that treat this as a packaging problem will lose to brands that treat it as a channel problem. One caution on the data: APPA’s survey is self-reported and the 2024 base was inflated by a 23% pandemic-era surge, so a 5% follow-on gain should be read as normalisation after a spike, not as a slowdown in structural demand.
Key Takeaways
- US cat ownership reached 53 million households in 2025, or 39% of all households, up 5% year on year.
- Households with three or more cats are up 45% since 2018, making multi-cat homes the fastest-growing unit of demand.
- Average annual cat food spend per owner reached $337.53 in 2025, up 9% year on year.
- Men are 43% of US cat owners and Gen Z is 22%, and both over-index on premium nutrition, mixers and toppers.
- Suppliers of cat trees, toys and treats gain most from multi-cat growth, while big-bag dry food gains least.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many US households own cats in 2026?
53 million households owned cats in 2025, equal to 39% of US households, up 5% year on year, according to APPA’s 2026 Cat Report published on 15 September 2026.
How much do US cat owners spend on food?
An average of $337.53 in 2025, up 9% year on year, with the fastest growth in mixers, toppers and other premium or personalised formats.
Is multi-cat ownership really increasing?
Yes — APPA reports two-cat households up 16% since 2018 and three-plus-cat households up 45% over the same period.
Who is driving cat ownership growth?
Gen Z (22% of cat owners, up 10% YoY) and men (43% of all cat owners). Gen Z male cat ownership rose 27% year on year.
How much should I feed my cat?
APPA’s report does not set feeding guidelines; requirements depend on age, body condition and neuter status. What the data shows is that owners increasingly build a feeding routine from several products — mixer and topper purchases by male owners are up 214% since 2018 — rather than from a single bag.
Sources
- American Pet Products Association — 2026 Cat Report: Strategic Insights from the 2025 National Pet Owners Survey, 2026-09-15
- Petfood Industry — Report: Cat ownership grows to 53 million U.S. households, 2026-09-15
