Pet food is the largest measured category within U.S. pet-industry spending. APPA estimated U.S. pet food and treats spending at $68.3 billion for 2025 and projected $69.7 billion for 2026. Separate AFIA and IFEEDER research estimated dog and cat food sales at $51.7 billion and total pet food volume at 9.8 million tons in 2024. Together, these figures show a large market with distinct definitions, measurement periods, and reporting scopes.
Table of contents
- U.S. market size and outlook
- What dog and cat owners buy
- Food volume, ingredients, and farm impact
- Company sales and retail reach
- Growth, profitability, and market pressure
- Pet ownership context
- Recalls and product safety
U.S. market size and outlook
APPA’s Industry Trends and Stats placed total U.S. pet-industry spending at an estimated $158 billion in 2024. Its category figures put 2024 spending on supplies, live animals, and over-the-counter medicine at $34.4 billion; veterinary care and product sales at $41.0 billion; and other services at $14.3 billion. These categories provide context for the food-and-treats total, but they are not additions to the food figure.
For the food category itself, APPA estimated U.S. pet food and treats spending at $68.3 billion in 2025. APPA projected the category to reach $69.7 billion in 2026. The same APPA source projected supplies, live animals, and over-the-counter medicine at $35.6 billion in 2026, veterinary care and product sales at $42.4 billion, and other services at $14.9 billion.
APPA’s 2026 State of the Industry report separately said the U.S. pet market reached $158 billion in 2025 and was projected to reach $165 billion in 2026. Because the report uses a different stated measurement year and source presentation from the category table, the two APPA sets should be read as published estimates and projections rather than combined into a single calculation.
The food category’s scale matters to households because it represents recurring purchases rather than occasional equipment or services. However, the APPA totals cover pet food and treats together, while AFIA and IFEEDER report dog and cat food sales specifically. That difference helps explain why credible market figures can vary without describing contradictory markets.
What dog and cat owners buy
APPA’s 2025 Dog & Cat report measured food choices among owners in 2024. Premium food was purchased by 41% of dog owners and 38% of cat owners. Basic food was purchased by 26% of dog owners and 38% of cat owners. The figures describe the share of owners reporting each purchase type; they are not market-share percentages and should not be added together.
The report also measured add-on and specialized diet behavior. Mixers or toppers were purchased by 16% of dog owners and 19% of cat owners. Pre- and probiotic diets were purchased by 13% of dog owners and 12% of cat owners. Vitamins or supplements were given by 53% of dog owners and 34% of cat owners.
| 2024 owner behavior | Dog owners | Cat owners |
|---|---|---|
| Purchased premium food | 41% | 38% |
| Purchased basic food | 26% | 38% |
| Purchased mixers or toppers | 16% | 19% |
| Purchased pre- or probiotic diets | 13% | 12% |
| Gave vitamins or supplements | 53% | 34% |
These results point to a market that includes both complete foods and products used to customize an animal’s routine. A topper, a specialized diet, and a supplement are different purchasing behaviors, so the percentages indicate overlapping owner groups rather than mutually exclusive segments.
The same APPA report recorded several lifestyle behaviors that can affect how owners think about convenience and portability. At least once a week in 2024, 53% of dog owners took their dogs on foot for daily errands. Among dog owners who traveled with their dogs, 74% had traveled by plane in the last year and 87% had traveled by car. Also, 49% of dog owners were likely to take their pet to the office if permitted.
Cat owners reported a different set of accessory and engagement behaviors. In 2024, 21% hosted a holiday or birthday party for their cats, 34% purchased pet-themed merchandise, and 48% used some type of training method. Cat owners reported having a leash at a rate of 32%, a harness at 22%, and a non-flea collar at 27%. These figures are not food sales, but they describe the broader ownership habits surrounding the food customer.
Food volume, ingredients, and farm impact
AFIA and IFEEDER estimated dog and cat food sales at $51.7 billion in 2024 and pet food volume at 9.8 million tons. Their report covered more than 600 nutritious plant- and animal-based ingredients. The sales and volume figures use a 2024 reporting period and a dog-and-cat food scope, so they should not be substituted directly for APPA’s 2025 food-and-treats estimate.
AFIA reported that pet food manufacturers bought $13.2 billion in farm products in 2024. It also said manufacturers drove $9.8 billion in materials and services purchases by farmers. Those suppliers, in turn, purchased $7.6 billion in equipment, labor, and services from other industries. These figures describe connected spending flows reported by AFIA, not three portions that should be summed into a new market total.
The AFIA report also quantified upcycled ingredients. Pet food manufacturers incorporated more than 3 million tons of upcycled ingredients into dog food in 2024 and over 1 million tons into cat food. The report’s stated coverage of more than 600 plant- and animal-based ingredients places those upcycled volumes within a broad ingredient system rather than a single product type.
For readers comparing labels, the data supports a simple distinction: food sales measure the value of products sold, tonnage measures physical volume, and ingredient counts describe variety. None of these measures alone indicates nutritional quality for an individual pet. They describe the size and structure of the industry during the stated period.
Company sales and retail reach
Freshpet reported $975.177 million in 2024 net sales in its 2024 Form 10-K. The company reported $395.956 million in gross profit and a 40.6% gross margin. Its 2024 Adjusted EBITDA was $161.8 million, equal to 16.6% of net sales.
Freshpet also reported approximately 28,141 retail stores carrying its products as of December 31, 2024. Its U.S. household penetration was approximately 13.5 million households at that date, and the company set a target of 20 million households by 2027. The 2027 figure is a company target, not a completed result or an independent forecast.
Colgate’s 2024 Form 10-K reported Hill’s Pet Nutrition net sales of $4.483 billion in 2024 and operating profit of $965 million. Hill’s accounted for 22% of Colgate’s total worldwide net sales, and its products were marketed in over 80 countries and territories. Colgate separately reported U.S. Pet Nutrition net sales of $3.059 billion.
Colgate said Pet Nutrition net sales increased 4.5% in 2024 versus 2023, while Pet Nutrition operating profit increased 20%. Those growth rates apply to Colgate’s Pet Nutrition business and should not be generalized to the entire pet food market.
Smucker’s FY2025 Form 10-K reported U.S. Retail Pet Foods net sales of $1.6636 billion. The company said those sales decreased $159.2 million in fiscal 2025. It attributed 7 percentage points of volume-and-mix decline to lower contract-manufacturing sales related to divested pet food brands, while higher trade spending for cat food and dog snacks reduced net price realization by 2 percentage points.
Central Garden & Pet reported fiscal 2024 Pet segment net sales of $1.832744 billion and Pet segment operating income of $203.425 million. Its total consolidated net sales were $3.200460 billion, and the company described the Pet segment as approximately $1.8 billion of fiscal 2024 net sales. The segment and consolidated figures use different scopes, so they are not interchangeable.
Growth, profitability, and market pressure
The company filings show why market growth is not uniform across brands. Freshpet’s reported 40.6% gross margin and $161.8 million Adjusted EBITDA reflect one company’s 2024 operating results. Hill’s reported $965 million of operating profit reflects another company’s global Pet Nutrition business. Smucker’s $1.6636 billion in fiscal 2025 U.S. Retail Pet Foods sales came with a reported $159.2 million decline, while Colgate reported 4.5% Pet Nutrition sales growth in calendar 2024.
Pricing and mix also matter. Smucker reported that higher trade spend for cat food and dog snacks reduced net price realization by 2 percentage points. Its reported 7-point volume-and-mix decline was tied to lower contract manufacturing sales associated with divested brands. Those disclosures show that reported sales can change because of brand ownership, product mix, promotional spending, or unit demand.
Distribution is another measurable part of competition. Freshpet’s approximately 28,141 retail stores and 13.5 million U.S. households as of December 31, 2024 describe reach for that brand. Hill’s presence in over 80 countries and territories describes geographic distribution for a global business. Neither metric is a market-wide share calculation.
Pet ownership context
APPA’s 2026 State of the Industry report said 95 million U.S. households owned at least one pet in 2025. Dog ownership rose from 51% of U.S. households in 2024 to 53% in 2025. APPA said 71 million U.S. households owned a dog in 2025, with dog-owning households increasing by about 4 million year over year.
Cat ownership rose to 39% of U.S. households in 2025, and APPA reported 53 million cat-owning households. Cat ownership increased 5% year over year. These household counts and percentages are APPA’s reported 2025 figures and are useful context for interpreting the dog-and-cat purchase rates measured in the separate 2024 Dog & Cat report.
Spending was not evenly distributed across owners. APPA said 22% of pet owners spent less on pets in 2025, a 10% increase from 2024. At the same time, Gen X pet ownership grew 12% year over year; Gen X dog ownership grew 12%; and Gen X cat ownership grew 8%.
APPA also reported growth among other pet categories in 2025: bird ownership grew 25% year over year, reptile ownership grew 20%, and freshwater fish ownership grew 17%. These figures broaden the ownership picture, although the food-purchase percentages above focus on dogs and cats.
Recalls and product safety
An FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine update reported 29 pet food recalls over the prior 12 months. Six pathogen recalls involved products other than raw pet food, primarily treats. The FDA presentation said the majority of pathogen recalls were in raw pet foods containing Salmonella or Listeria monocytogenes.
The recall figures describe the period covered by the FDA CVM update, rather than a lifetime total or a probability that any particular product will be recalled. They also distinguish pathogen recalls from the broader count of pet food recalls. Consumers should use current product packaging and official recall notices when checking a specific food or treat, because a historical count does not identify the status of an individual product.