Cat food sales hit $17 billion as dog food stalls

Americans spent $17 billion on cat food over the past year, up 14% from two years earlier. Dog food sales were roughly flat over the same period.

Prices are rising across the board and wage growth has not kept up, yet "the pet food market keeps growing," said Jenny Gross, a reporter for The New York Times. Executives told her that people are having children later, if at all, and are more willing to spend heavily on pets.

Companies are tapping that willingness with high-end foods and supplements, including products meant to support healthy brain aging. Much of the focus is pandemic pets adopted in 2020 and now reaching middle age, with options that Gross described as "extra soft mousse for cats ages 11 and up" or "easy to eat kibble for cats 15 and up."