According to the APPA 2026 Cat Report, published on 15 September 2026 based on a 2025 survey, in 2025 cats lived in 53 million households in the US — that is 39 % of all American families, 5 % more than a year earlier.
The growth is mainly driven by existing owners: the number of households with two cats grew by 7 % over the year and by 16 % since 2018, while those with three or more grew by 7 % over the year and by 45 % since 2018.
Average annual spending on cat food was 337,53 dollars, an increase of 9 %. The rise in purchases of mixers and toppers is especially notable: among men this figure grew by 214 % since 2018.
Men now make up 43 % of cat owners, and Generation Z — 22 %, while among men of Generation Z cat ownership grew by 27 % over the year.
The APPA report shows that cats are increasingly becoming the choice for apartment buildings and busy people, while owners are increasingly personalising their diet and enriching their pets' environment.
Manufacturers and retailers should bear in mind that demand is shifting towards products for multiple cats — scratching posts, vertical furniture, litter boxes and a variety of foods — rather than simply increasing volumes of dry food.
