Market analysts with Packaged Facts observed that the pet population of the United States grew at historically low rates during 2022 (0.4%) and 2023 (0.5%). They forecast that this low pet population growth rate would likely persist into the near future. Meanwhile, the number of households with pets grew at a faster rate, ranging between 0.8% and 1.1% from 2018 and 2023. Along with slow growth rates, pet ownership preferences have shifted as dog ownership declined and cat ownership grew, reversing earlier trends.
“Historically, dogs have dominated much of the US pet market,” Packaged Facts analysts wrote in their report Pet Population and Ownership Trends in the US, 8th Edition. “Aside from the litter category, cats have taken an often distant second place in the overall pet market, with feline offerings and options seldom as robust as those for canines. The historical reasons for this skew include the higher rate of dog ownership and the higher consequent spending on pet food, supplies, and services for them.”
Decline in dog ownership and rise in cats
Rates fell for ownership of dogs or cats between 2018 and 2024, from 53% to 50%. Dog ownership declined during that period from 42% to 38%. Ownership of dogs to the exclusion of cats dropped from 30% to 26%. On the other hand, ownership rates for cats grew from 23% to 24%. Ownership of cats but not dogs grew from 11% to 12%.
This stood in contrast to between 2003 and 2008, when dog ownership was higher than for cats at 41% versus 22%, respectively. Between 2008 and 2013, dog-owning households grew numerically by 13, while cat-owning households contracted by 4%. However, dog ownership growth (2%) lagged that of cats (5%) from 2014 through 2019. Dog ownership fell in absolute numbers for 2019 through 2024, representing a 2% decline for dogs compared to 5% growth for cats.
Likewise, between 2019 and 2024, the number households including cats, but not dogs, grew 6%. At the same time, dog ownership to the exclusion of cats declined 5%. The share of households that only had dogs declined from 57% in 2018 to 52% in 2023 and 2024. In contrast, households with only cats rose from 21% in 2018 to 24% in 2024. Multi-species households, with dogs as well as cats, rose from 22% to 24% during that period.
Following those declines, 31 million households, or 23% of the total, owned one dog and 10% owned two in 2024. The number of younger generations of dogs also didn’t growing to replace aging dogs. The share of dog owners with puppies less than one-year-old declined from 11% to 8% between 2018 and 2024. Meanwhile, the share with senior dogs grew to 52%.
Between 2018 and 2024, the number of cats owned remained similar, with 12% to 13% of US households having one cat over this period, which translates to 50% to 53% of cat-owning households. In 2024, 32 million households in the U.S. has only one cat, making up 51% of cat owners.
Unlike puppies, the percentage of kittens increased from 2018 to 2024 growing from 10% to 12%. Senior cats increased from 49% to 54%.
“Increased emphasis on cats by marketers and retailers makes sense not just as a temporary adaptation but long term, since cats are not only less expensive to keep but easier to manage – an especially important consideration for lower- or modest-income households, dual-worker households, and the aging human population,” Packaged Facts analysts wrote.