General Mills, Chewy and Petco executives have all described stronger cat-related demand alongside weakness in the dog market. Chewy Chief Executive Sumit Singh said on the company’s September 9 earnings call that dog demand appeared to be worsening while cat demand was strengthening. Petco Health & Wellness Chief Executive Joel D. Anderson said cat-focused brands produced gains across consumables, supplements, bedding and furniture, while the dog business remained soft and adoptions were slightly lower. Petco launched its Candy Shop cat-treat brand on September 2. General Mills reported double-digit percentage growth in cat-food sales, including Tiki Cat, while dog-food sales declined by a high-digit percentage. Chief Executive Jeff Harmening linked the split to more Americans adopting cats and fewer adopting dogs, while Chief Operating Officer Dana McNabb said the company needed to reassess its products, packaging, marketing and communications. American Pet Products Association data cited by CNBC showed cat ownership rising 5% in 2025 to an estimated 53 million households, following a 23% increase in 2024. Dog ownership also rose, from 51% to 53% of U.S. households. Cats generally cost less to own, an important factor as 22% of pet owners reported cutting spending overall. Average annual spending per dog rose from about $1,200 in 2015 to more than $2,400 in 2025, while cat spending increased from about $800 to about $1,600. Chewy reported second-quarter sales of $3.33 billion, adjusted EPS of $0.36 versus roughly $0.18 expected, and raised full-year sales guidance to $13.46 billion-$13.57 billion. Petco reported about $1.5 billion in second-quarter sales, with comparable sales up 0.6%, and expects dog demand to improve in 2027. Chewy shares were at $18.60 at 11:55 a.m. Eastern on September 24, 2026, up 0.24% that day but down 43.72% year to date, 51.39% over one year, 24.08% over the past month and 11.05% over the past week.