Listen to this week’s breaking insights and trends

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🔍 INSIGHTS & ANALYSIS

📈 The Rise of the “Cat Dad” is Reshaping the Feline Food Market Cat ownership surged by 23% in 2024, largely driven by Gen Z and Millennial men. Multi-cat households are growing, and nearly half of cat owners now engage in training or lifestyle integration with their pets-activities traditionally associated with dogs.

🧠 Takeaway: Brands that offer enrichment tools, celebratory products, and lifestyle-oriented cat food options will stand out in this evolving segment. 

Source: Report: 4 key trends shaping the pet food industry

💡 Younger Consumers Demand Purpose, Not Just Products Millennials and Gen Z make up over half of all U.S. pet owners and demand brands that align with their values-sustainability, transparency, and wellness. Emotional storytelling and mission-driven branding are now non-negotiables.

🧠 Takeaway: Brands that visibly live their values earn deeper loyalty among socially conscious pet parents. 

Source: Navigating Pet Industry Trends: How to Market to Gen Z and Millennial Pet Owners

📱 Authentic Video Content Wins Gen Z's Attention Highly produced ads are out. Raw, authentic, and TikTok-style videos are the preferred mode of engagement, especially when educating about new ingredients like insect protein. Mascot-led storytelling (e.g., Innovafeed’s Lucia) is helping reframe “icky” topics.

🧠 Takeaway: Relatable, visual-first content outperforms polish when targeting younger pet owners. 

Source: Marketing to modern pet parents

🥩 Novel Proteins Find a Niche with Urban and Health-Conscious Pet Owners Interest in proteins like insect, cultivated meat, and invasive fish is on the rise, especially among supplement-using, urban-dwelling consumers. These early adopters prefer wet and pâté formats over kibble.

🧠 Takeaway: Alternative proteins succeed when tailored to lifestyle habits and paired with targeted education strategies. 

Source: Trends in novel proteins: What pet parents will pay for

🧬 Functional Nutrition and Supplements Go Mainstream Supplement use among dog and cat owners has jumped 56% and 70%, respectively, since 2018. Interest in functional toppers and biotics continues to grow, especially among those seeking preventative wellness.

🧠 Takeaway: The demand for health-boosting add-ons signals an enduring shift toward holistic pet care. 

Source: Top pet industry trends

♻️ Sustainability Still Matters-But Clarity is Key While pet parents say they want sustainable products, many overlook packaging specifics when purchasing. Clear communication around eco-benefits and ingredient sourcing remains a major opportunity.

🧠 Takeaway: Packaging innovations must be paired with storytelling that reinforces sustainability credentials. 

Source: Global Cat Owners: Consumer Insights

✅ ACTIONABLE INSIGHTS

1. Develop for the Multi-Cat Household 

   Create bundled products or subscription formats designed for homes with multiple cats to increase basket size and convenience.

2. Invest in Relatable Storytelling 

   Partner with creators who reflect your brand’s mission and values to deliver authentic, engaging narratives across TikTok and Instagram.

3. Bundle Wellness Add-Ons 

   Promote functional toppers and supplement kits that target common issues (digestion, immunity, coat health) to drive cross-category sales.

4. Optimize for Mobile-First Shopping 

   Ensure your digital storefronts load quickly, feature seamless checkouts, and highlight personalized recommendations to match Millennial and Gen Z expectations.

5. Educate to Differentiate on Protein Innovation 

   Launch bite-sized video campaigns that demystify cultivated and insect protein benefits-especially on platforms like YouTube and Instagram where target users reside.

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Pet Food Insider Weekly distills pet market complexity into actionable insights for product teams, marketers, and growth leaders.

This week’s theme: Where Purpose, Personalization & Protein Collide.