Pet-food spending still has room to grow in the United States. The latest evidence also shows where that growth is concentrated.
The American Pet Products Association estimated $158 billion in total U.S. pet spending for 2025 and projected $165 billion for 2026. Its forecast includes about two percentage points of inflation. A new Pet Food Processing review of Circana data shows a sharper split inside food: dry dog food fell, while wet cat food, fresh dog food and treats grew. PetScreening's new consumer study adds another signal: pet-owning renters said pet-related benefits shaped apartment searches, and half of surveyed pet owners said pet-accommodating businesses earn greater loyalty.
Taken together, these records describe a changing mix inside a market that is still growing. They do not describe a uniform lift across every format or channel.
What the market data shows
The total is still rising
APPA projected nearly 4.4% growth for the total U.S. pet industry in 2026. Its estimate covers food and treats, supplies, veterinary care and other services. The association said roughly 2% of that projected growth comes from inflation.
APPA's release also reports evidence of value-seeking. It said 22% of pet owners spent less on their pets in 2025, a 10% increase from 2024. The total can rise while more households adjust what they buy.
The food mix is moving
Circana's multi-outlet data, as reported by Pet Food Processing, separates a growing market by format.
Dry dog food remained the largest food category at $14.3 billion, but sales fell 3.8% and unit volume fell 3.2%. Wet dog food sales fell 1.3%, with units down 2.2%.
The direction changed for fresh dog food and cat products. Fresh and frozen dog food sales rose 10.8% to about $1.8 billion. Dry cat food grew 3.2% in dollars and 2.5% in units. Cat treats rose 12.5% to $2.3 billion.
Wet cat food was one of the strongest dollar performers at $6.5 billion, up 8.5%. Unit growth was much smaller at 0.6%, while prices rose 7.8%.
Household choices extend beyond food
PetScreening surveyed 6,052 current pet owners, past pet owners and non-pet owners in two complementary surveys during the first half of 2026. It reported that 69% of pet-owning renters said pet-related benefits shaped their most recent apartment search. The same release says 51% of pet owners said businesses that accommodate pets earn greater loyalty.
Those are stated preferences, not proof of a purchase. They still add context to a food market that is asking households to weigh price, format, convenience and whether a product fits daily life.
Industry Lens: price is carrying more of the headline
The strongest warning sign sits inside the wet cat food result. Sales rose 8.5%, but units rose only 0.6% and prices rose 7.8%. The category added dollars. It did not add a comparable number of units.
That pattern matters for reading the whole market. APPA's total forecast also includes inflation, and its survey found more owners reducing pet spending. A growing dollar total can coexist with smaller purchases, trade-downs and a narrower set of categories receiving premium spend.
The categories moving fastest share a useful trait: they offer a clear role in the household routine. Wet food and treats create different feeding occasions. Fresh food offers another format choice. Cats provide a growing customer base. None of those facts establishes a nutritional advantage for every pet or a permanent shift in demand.
The competitive question is whether a product can explain its value where the buyer notices it: at the bowl, in the feeding routine and in the total cost of the amount used.
Signal or noise?
The signal is the category split. Dry dog food declined in both dollars and units during the reported period, while cat food, wet formats and treats grew in dollars. The difference is large enough to matter for assortment and product development.
The noise would be treating every dollar increase as more food purchased. Wet cat food prices rose much faster than units. Cat treats grew quickly, but the article does not provide a unit comparison. APPA's forecast is an association estimate with an inflation component, and PetScreening's study reports attitudes.
The counter-signal is value-seeking. A market can move toward premium formats while more shoppers reduce spending elsewhere. That makes trading down, pack-size changes and private-label alternatives part of the same story.
Pet Family Lens: compare the full feeding routine
A category's sales growth is not a reason to change a pet's food. Species, life stage, body condition, health history and the feeding directions on the selected product still determine whether a food belongs in the bowl.
Cost comparisons should use the same basis. Compare the price of the amount the pet eats, using the label's calorie information and the daily feeding amount. A larger bag or a wet-food multipack is not automatically cheaper if the daily amount is higher. Our Pet Portion Control guide explains how to keep portions repeatable, and the Feeding and Enrichment Guide can help organize a routine around measured meals.
For renters, a pet-related benefit should come with clear terms. Ask what a pet fee covers, which animals and household sizes the policy allows and how renewal or assistance-animal rules work. A welcoming label matters less than a policy a household can follow.
What we are watching
We will watch the next Circana update for whether cat-food unit growth begins to close the gap with dollar growth. A dollar increase driven mostly by price would remain a weaker demand signal than growth in both sales and units.
We will also watch whether pet-food companies publish clearer product-specific evidence for functional claims. The Pet Food Processing review says the industry is moving toward an evidence-oriented market. Our test is whether public product information shows the claim, the basis for it and the limits a shopper needs.
Sources and limits
This issue uses APPA's 2026 industry report release, Pet Food Processing's October 27 review of Circana and Euromonitor data, and PetScreening's October 21 release about its 2026 consumer research.
The sources measure different things. APPA estimates total U.S. industry spending and includes a forecast. Circana's retail panel measures the listed multi-outlet channels and the article reports category aggregates, not individual brands or the exact end date of every comparison. PetScreening reports self-reported attitudes from a vendor survey, and the company sells pet-policy software.
We excluded a conflicting PetScreening statistic about willingness to spend more because the study page and its release presented different figures. We did not add any source into a combined market estimate. The data does not establish nutrition quality, prove a household should choose a particular format or predict future sales.
This is an editorial synthesis of public records, not veterinary, nutrition, legal or investment advice. If a publisher revises a figure or releases a later result, this article should be updated visibly.
