Cats are finally having their moment

Happy Friday!

Have you noticed that the news out of the pet industry has been more cat-heavy these days?

To which we say: it’s about time. Cats are finally having their moment.

Here at Luxury Pet Care News, we’ve had the opportunity of interviewing some great cat-focused startups (including Sylvester.ai, RABO and Inventor Cat). But now, it sounds like the big established brands are taking a closer look too.

One example is Mars. The maker of Whiskas and Temptations has recently launched Operation Cattitude, according to the Wall Street Journal.

This internal project came in response to the company’s realisation that most of their staff were (gasp!) dog people.

The issue: cat ownership is surging in the U.S., driven by Gen Z and Millennials. In fact, cat food is expected to grow faster than dog food globally this year, according to Euromonitor.

So in response, Mars went into feline overdrive:

• They held presentations with feline behaviourists, sent marketers to visit real cat homes, and even had senior execs put on cat ears around the office.

• Why? They wanted to understand “feline insecurity” (the fear many cat parents have that their cats don’t love them back).

• Not just that: Mars is adjusting product development and marketing to highlight the very real bond between cats and their humans (as we all know, there is no such thing as a cat “owner”. Servant, maybe).

Mars’ campaign mirrors a wider industry push to understand cats on their own terms, rather than scale down dog products and market them for cats.

The takeaway?

The era of treating cats as second-class pets is ending. 

Brands are realising that today’s cat parent expects products designed specifically for felines, not dogs who happen to meow, have sharp claws and like sitting in boxes.

IN THE NEWS

🇨🇭 Nestle releases H1 earnings; PetCare delivers 1.3% organic growth ● PetCare’s performance reflected a general slowdown in category growth. Growth was led by flagship brands including Purina Pro Plan, Felix, Purina ONE and Tidy Cats.

🇺🇸 Wag! announces recapitalisation transaction with Retriever ● Wag! is pursuing a comprehensive balance sheet restructuring through a voluntary, pre-packaged Chapter 11 process in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware. 

🇺🇸 Farmina Pet Foods signs U.S. distribution agreement with MWI Animal Health ● Farmina Pet Foods has signed a national distribution agreement with MWI Animal Health. Under the agreement, MWI will market and distribute Farmina's VetLife line of therapeutic diets in the U.S.

🇺🇸 BARK adds dog advisory committee ● BARK has set up a Dog Committee, which will designate dogs as advisors and co-owners to influence product development and charitable giving decisions.

🇦🇺 Rover to acquire Australian pet care marketplace Mad Paws for AUD62M ● The transaction represents Rover’s expansion into Australia, adding Mad Paws’ network of over 300,000 pet parents and 70,000 pet care providers to Rover. 

🇬🇧 Green Pantry launches new air-dried treats ● Natural pet nutrition brand Green Pantry has launched two new air-dried treats, which come in Chicken with sweet potato and thyme, and Beef with sweet potato and oregano recipes.

🇳🇱 Pet Service Holding receives approval for listing on Euronext Growth ● Pet Service Holding announced that its shares will be listed on Euronext Growth from 28 July, as part of the company’s growth strategy.

🇵🇭 Crash-tested pet car seat system brings child-standard safety to animals ● Global pet mobility brand Tavo has launched its Maeve 3-in-1 pet travel system in the Philippines with technology originally designed for children.  

🇰🇷 South Korea’s sashimi-grade pet food brand Eastsea Brother enters U.S. market ● South Korean brand Eastsea Brother, which sells sashimi-grade cod, salmon, and pollock for pets, is launching in the U.S. through retailer EarthWise Pet.

BEFORE YOU GO…

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