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🔍 INSIGHTS & ANALYSIS

🧠 “More Truth, Less Marketing” Becomes a Consumer Mandate

At the 2025 Pet Food Conference, BSM Partners reported that 93% of consumers demand more transparency in pet food manufacturing and 79% believe advertising is often misleading. Most don’t understand terms like “microbiome” or “postbiotics,” but 82% want stricter labeling regulations.

🧠 Takeaway: Simpler language, stronger brand identity, and value-focused storytelling will define consumer trust in 2025.

Source: ‘More truth, less marketing’: Consumer marketing trends in the pet industry

🐱 The Cat Opportunity Is Getting Louder

Cat ownership in the U.S. has climbed to 32.1 million households, yet cat owners still feel underserved. 82% say food is their most important pet care purchase, and 52% support using sustainable proteins.

🧠 Takeaway: Brands that embrace feline-first innovation — especially in wet, functional, and sustainable formats — will win loyalty.

Source: US cat food market opportunities

🍽️ Alt-Formats Gain Ground in Cat Food

Dry kibble usage among cat owners has dropped from 93% (2021) to 79% (2024), while fresh refrigerated cat food has grown to 14% and raw/frozen now reaches 10%. Meal enhancers like toppers are used by 26% of cat owners.

🧠 Takeaway: Fresh, freeze-dried, and customized formats are reshaping feline nutrition — with room to grow.

Source: Feeding of alternative cat foods rises with cat population

🔬 Postbiotics Prove Powerful for Gut Health

A new study by ADM shows that combining PRIOME® Gut Health (postbiotic) and Pet Fibersol® (dietary fiber) significantly improves intestinal permeability, boosts beneficial bacteria, and enhances immunity in cats — especially during dietary transitions.

🧠 Takeaway: Postbiotics are gaining real scientific validation. Formulating with proven ingredients can boost both performance and marketing credibility.

Source: Study: ADM’s postbiotic, dietary fiber shown to improve cat gut health

🧬 Personalized Pet Nutrition Gets Smarter

Ollie is setting the pace in pet personalization with its “Foodback” loop — a system that uses real pet health data to adjust recipes. New tools like AI-assisted LiDAR scans and microbiome analysis are pushing the limits of tailored nutrition.

🧠 Takeaway: Real-time, data-powered personalization is emerging as the next big battleground for pet food loyalty.

Source: The future of pet nutrition: Personalization

✅ ACTIONABLE INSIGHTS

1. Ditch Jargon for Clarity

Simplify complex health claims and educate shoppers with visuals, analogies, and omnichannel content that decodes ingredients.

2. Prioritize Cats as Primary

Expand your cat-specific SKUs with wellness-driven benefits and treat-style delivery formats. Don’t treat feline as an afterthought.

3. Leverage Gut Health in Cat Formulations

Postbiotics and dietary fiber are now science-backed — highlight digestive resilience and immunity for cats with picky guts.

4. Embrace Format Flexibility

Offer trial-sized fresh or freeze-dried options with meal mixers or hydration toppers to ease cat transitions and boost basket size.

5. Start Your Personalization Journey Now

Even without AI, brands can start by capturing pet health feedback and offering flexible feeding plans or DTC mix-and-match programs.

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