When it comes to pet food, most of the manufacturers
initially were concentrating on dog feeds. Cat foods were not given a priority.
But now things have changed and cat foods are getting a leg up. Companies are
now focusing on innovative foods for cats and cat lovers and owners should be
happy!
CATS AND
THEIR USA POPULATION
Some estimates have been made on the number of cats that
live in the USA. American Pet Products Association did a survey called National
Pet Owners Survey in 2019-2020 and found out that nearly 42.7 million
households in the USA own a cat. Besides the USA FDA also estimates that nearly
58.4 million cats reside in the country. Hence, the market for cat foods is
vast and remains largely untapped.
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Cat foods-dry and wet types [Source: RD]
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These pet food processors and treat processors realized that
surprisingly they have neglected this important area and innovative cat foods
are trickling into the market. Catherine Lenox, the manager of the scientific affairs at Royal Canin USA at St. Charles, Mo says:
“There are millions of
cats in the United States and cat owners are becoming vocal about the fact that
their cats are not small dogs. Cats are unique pets and they need their own
unique products.”
CAT FOODS
AND ITS CURRENT SITUATION
Somehow, the area of cat food was ignored. Emilie Mesnier is
director of technical sales at BSM Partners in Bentonville in Arkansas and he admitted:
“There has been a lack
of pure innovation in the cat space.”
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Cat foods [Source: The Mercury News]
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Most of the products that have been made into cat foods were
actually a spin-off of foods that were dog foods. Hence BSM Partners now aim to
focus on innovation in cat foods and meet their growing demands for it. This
making and marketing of special cat foods have started and variety is introduced
into it now. Alisha Brassard is a product development and innovation manager at
Petcurean located at Chilliwack, British Columbia. She said:
“Pet food owners are prioritizing
their pet’s health more than ever and we are seeing this through new and
increased expectations in the food they choose to invest in.”
TRENDS AND
CAT FOODS
There were a number of trends in cat feeding and these are driving
the various new innovations in cat foods. The cat owners are happy now since
variety and wholesomeness of foods is guaranteed now for their feline pets.
Manufacturers are also happy since they are able to meet the demands and earn
well in the process. Tim Koester, global product manager at AFB International
in St. Charles says:
“Pet food
manufacturers have recognized that a strong cat portfolio is critical to
sustained growth, so I think there will be more cat-only brand launches and
fewer introductions that are cat-sub-ranges of a dog brand.”
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Cat food variety and nutritional value are on the rise [Source: Catster]
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Wet cat foods and treats are getting popularized more, says
Joe Toscano, VP of Trade and Industry Development, Nestle Purina PetCare in St.
Louis. He added that their sales data reveals that there are more wet cat
foods and treats sales. 63% of the cat food buyers buy it and this is
significant.
Should mothers donating breast milk be compensated financially?
Crumbly biscuits for cats have now given way to these wet
food products for them. Various packs have been developed and add variety with
different proteins and texture to cat foods. Combination food packs are also
available-these include the wet and dry combinations. Some cats are
water-adverse and hence a combination or sole wet foods could prevent the stone formation
or urinary tract infection in them. Foods aimed to reduce cat dander allergy is
also marketed now. There is also a treat for gastro-intestinal well-being of
these cats and one that help cat owners to feed pills to the cats.
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