‘Seniors’ are a growing part of the pet population

Like the human population, the dog and cat populations in the US include a growing share of ‘seniors’ (defined as pets aged 7+). This is fueling sales across several sectors in the pet and veterinary industry. The sectors that are especially benefitting include veterinary services, chronic condition prescription pet medications, aging, mobility and pain-related pet supplements, and specialized weight-management and digestive-support/allergen-conscious pet food formulations for senior pets.

Seniors on the rise

In terms of the current age distribution of pets in the US, MRI-Simmons data shows a long-term increase in the share of dog-owning households with senior dogs (age 7+), rising from 42% in 2012 to 52% as of summer 2022. This means that a total of 26.5 million households own senior dogs. In contrast, the share of households with puppies under the age of 1 dropped from nearly 13% to 9% over the same period.

Similarly, the number of cat-owning households in the US with senior cats rose from 46% in 2012 to 52% as of summer 2022, amounting to a total of 16.0 million households with senior cats. In contrast, the share of households with kittens under the age of 1 fell from 13% in 2012 to below 11% in 2022.

Market opportunities

This senior pet trend helps to explain why animal wellness products targeting older pets have multiplied over the past decade. Conversely, companies focusing on new pet parents and puppy/kitten adoption could be looking at pet market opportunities through the wrong end of the telescope.

A large majority of pet owners have always considered their pets to be fully-fledged family members, and since the pandemic many Americans have depended on their pets even more intensely for companionship and comfort. Survey data from Packaged Facts as of January 2022 shows that 92-96% of pet owners agree that pets are part of the family, with 80% of dog owners and 78% of cat owners strongly agreeing.

Health and wellness

As pet dogs and cats age, the human-animal bond between pet parent and pet deepens and consumers become even more willing to spend money on helping to optimize their pet’s health and wellness. This willingness to spend has led to a broad spectrum of products –food, medications and other product types – specially designed to target a range of health conditions associated with older pets.

Overweight and special needs

Again mirroring the human population in the US, the dog and cat populations include a high proportion of pets with weight-related and/or aging-related special needs. The most recent survey by the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention, conducted in October 2018, reports that 56% of dogs and 60% of cats are overweight or obese. Additionally, according to survey data by Packaged Facts from February 2022, 18% of dog owners and 15% of cat owners indicate that they have pets with special aging-related needs.

Pet food formulation

Packaged Facts’ April 2022 Survey of Pet Owners shows that only half of dog and cat owners use regular/ adult formulation pet food, which implies heightened pet owner attention to the health and wellness needs of pets. In keeping with the growing share of dog and cat owners with older pets, senior/mature pet foods are among the most popular specialized formulations, used by 19% of dog owners and 16% of cat owners. Weight management/diet foods which are especially relevant to older pets also rank highly among specialized formulations.