Five key findings from pet parents in 2021

Every year, FONA International fields a survey of cat and dog parents in the US to understand what matters most to the primary household shoppers for pet food, treats, supplements and medication. This year, hundreds of cat and dog owners were asked about a wide range of subjects including product claims, ingredients and feeding behaviour. Here are five interesting findings.

Flavour is important

Pet parents were asked to rank the importance of 12 different attributes of their pet’s food. ‘The food is a flavour my pet likes’ rose to the top position for cats, and came in second – behind ‘The food has balanced nutrition’ – for dogs. Other attributes on the list included affordability, limited ingredients, and natural and organic ingredients.

‘Human-grade’ claim is confusing

The Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) in the US has given no official definition for the term ‘human-grade’, even though this claim is appearing frequently on store shelves.

Without regulation of this claim, pet parents are left to interpret this term for themselves. Over half of the pet parents surveyed felt that ‘human-grade’ food should be safe enough for humans to eat, while more than a third felt the food should have a high nutritional value. These expectations set a high standard for manufacturers and ingredient suppliers who are looking to capitalise on a human-grade claim (see figure 1).

Functional treats offer potential

Function is key. In fact, 64% of dog parents and 42% of cat parents in the survey indicated that they currently feed their pet supplements or treats that include functional ingredients. The needs vary: ‘joint health’ leads the way among dog parents as the reason for purchase, followed by ‘skin & coat’. Among cat parents, ‘urinary tract health’ was the leading reason for purchase, followed by ‘calming’. Manufacturers can look to natural flavours like mint, vanilla and lavender to align with the functional benefits of these products (see figure 2).

Mixing wet and dry food is a special treat

Mixing wet food with dry kibble is a growing trend among pet parents. In this study, 24% of dog parents and 20% of cat parents indicated that they regularly feed their pet a combination of wet and dry food. When asked how often they mix their pet’s food,

the largest group of cat and dog parents – 40% and 38% respectively – indicated that they mix the food ‘occasionally as a special treat’. Wet food packaged
in small plastic trays was popular with combination feeders, suggesting that affordable flavour variety plays a part in this trend (see figure 3).

Natural flavour is highly acceptable

Parents of humanised pets demand clean labels for their pet’s food and treats. When presented with a list of 19 common ingredients found in dry dog or cat food, pet parents overwhelmingly approved of natural flavour. In fact, 83% of dog parents indicated that natural flavour was acceptable, ranking it higher than any other ingredient – including deboned beef (76%), brown rice (74%), oatmeal (85%) and beef fat (52%). For cat parents, natural flavour was second only to deboned chicken (83%), with 78% approving of its inclusion in their cat’s food or treats.