Pet Product Trends 2026: What Pet Owners Are Buying Now

This guide reads pet product trends 2026 through primary data from APPA and NielsenIQ, then turns each trend into content you can make as a pet creator. It also covers what you should not claim, especially about supplements, and how to check a trend stat before you repeat it.

Disclosure: Petfiliate is an affiliate marketing network. We and our Partners earn commissions when people buy from pet brands through our tracking links. Some content on the Site, and much of our Partners' content, contains affiliate links. We may earn a commission if you click a link and make a purchase, at no extra cost to you.

Key takeaways

• Spending is still growing at a steady pace. APPA projects growth near 4.4% for 2026, with roughly 2 percentage points of that from inflation (APPA).
• Owners are hunting for value. In a NielsenIQ survey, 44% of pet parents said they look for sales and deals more often (NIQ outlook PDF).
• Wellness is the standout category, and the riskiest to talk about. NIQ reports pet supplement sales of $1.61 billion in 2025, up 9.3% (NIQ outlook PDF). But the FDA says there is no "dietary supplement" classification for animal products (FDA).

The big picture: steady growth, careful spending

Two primary sources frame pet product trends 2026. They measure different things, so read them side by side rather than adding them together.

What APPA reports

APPA reports that 95 million US households owned at least one pet in 2025. About half of owners kept their pet spending the same, while 22% spent less (APPA).

APPA's president and CEO, Pete Scott, says consumers are "becoming more intentional with how they spend" (APPA).

What NielsenIQ reports

NielsenIQ (NIQ) tells a similar story from store and online sales data. Its measured Total Pet Care market reached $91.8 billion and is expected to reach $95.3 billion in 2026 (NIQ, March 2026).

NIQ also says pet parents are "buying in bulk, delaying non-essentials, seeking deals more often," among other changes (NIQ).

What this means for you: your audience is still buying for their pets, but spending is more deliberate. Help people decide well instead of pushing them to buy more.

Trend 1: More cat households, while dog spending moderates

Cat ownership grew 5% in 2025, to 39% of US households, or 53 million homes. Dog ownership also rose, to 53% of households, about 71 million (APPA).

APPA's 2026 summary adds that dog household spending is moderating even as dog ownership grows, while cat ownership and spending rose, propelled by Gen Z and Millennials (APPA State of the Industry).

Content ideas:

• First-week setup guides for new cat owners
• Litter, scratcher and feeding station comparisons for small apartments
• Honest "what I'd skip" lists for dog owners who already own the basics

Trend 2: Value hunting, bulk buys and deal fatigue

NielsenIQ's October 2025 survey of 500 pet parents found that 44% look for sales and deals more often, 32% buy value sizes in bulk more often, and 28% are cutting back on non-essentials (NIQ outlook PDF).

There is a catch. NIQ also notes that "fatigue from constant price checking is growing," and that loyalty is "conditional and recalculated with every trip" (NIQ).

In other words, people want savings but are tiring of the price checking. That suggests a gap a creator can fill.

Content ideas:

• Cost-per-day or cost-per-serving breakdowns you work out yourself and show your math
• "Is the big bag worth it?" checks that account for storage and freshness
• A short list of essentials versus nice-to-haves for a tight month

Trend 3: Wellness, supplements and at-home care

NIQ's Pet Industry Outlook reports 2025 sales growth across several pet health categories (NIQ outlook PDF):

Some of these categories are small in dollars, so a high growth rate starts from a low base. Supplements are the large one.

Content ideas:

• How to talk to your vet about a supplement before you buy it
• Paw care routines for hot pavement, snow and salt
• What an at-home test kit can and cannot tell you

Trend 4: Convenience and online buying

Nearly two-thirds of pet food still sells in-store, but share keeps shifting online (NIQ). NIQ's outlook adds that 44% of pet care shoppers who use Amazon name free or low-cost shipping as the key reason they choose it, while only 26% say a cheaper price (NIQ outlook PDF).

NIQ reads online growth as consumers "choosing convenience over price" (NIQ outlook PDF). Content that saves your reader time fits that.

Content ideas:

• How to set up a repeat delivery schedule that matches how fast your pet goes through food
• A "what to keep on hand" checklist so nobody runs out on a Sunday night
• Side-by-side looks at shipping and return terms, checked on the day you publish

Trend 5: Small pets get attention

APPA reports strong year-over-year growth among Gen X owners for birds (+25%), reptiles (+20%) and freshwater fish (+17%) (APPA).

These pets typically need specialized gear, such as lighting, heating, water care and enclosures, so detailed setup content can be practical. If you keep one of these pets, your own experience is the strongest material you have.

Content ideas:

• Beginner habitat setups with a full shopping list
• Maintenance routines filmed over a real week
• Mistakes you made in your first month and how you fixed them

Trend-to-content map

Use this table to plan a month of content around pet product trends 2026.

Talk about wellness products without overclaiming

This is the trend most likely to get a creator in trouble.

What the FDA says about pet supplements

The FDA says the dietary supplement law (DSHEA) "does not apply to animal food, including pet food." There is no "dietary supplement" classification for animal products. They are regulated as food or as new animal drugs, depending on intended use (FDA).

So the dietary supplement rules people know from human products do not apply to pet products.

What the FTC says about health claims

The FTC says health claims need "competent and reliable scientific evidence," and its definition of advertising includes "social media and influencer marketing" (FTC).

Most of the FTC's examples involve dietary supplements, but it says the same legal principles apply to the marketing of any health-related product (FTC).

Safer habits for wellness content

• Quote the label's own wording and link to it rather than restating benefits
• Tell viewers to ask their vet before starting a supplement
• Never say a product treats, cures or prevents a disease
• Disclose your affiliate link every time, right next to the link. Petfiliate's Partner Agreement requires partners to place the disclosure before or right next to the recommendation

How to check a pet trend stat before you share it

Some "pet industry stats" pages repeat numbers without naming a primary source. Run this checklist first.

1. Find the original. Trace the number back to the organization that collected it, such as APPA, NielsenIQ or a government agency.
2. Check the date. Note which year the data covers, not just when the article was posted.
3. Check what was measured. APPA's $158 billion and NIQ's $91.8 billion measure different markets. Do not compare them as if they were the same.
4. Check the sample. Survey results should name who was asked and how many. NIQ's deal-seeking figure comes from 500 pet parents.
5. Check the base. A high growth rate on a small category is still a small category.
6. Link it. Put the source next to the claim so your audience can check it too.

Turn trends into content that earns trust

Trends tell you what people are thinking about. Your audience still decides whether to trust you based on how honest and useful you are. Pick one or two trends that fit the pets you actually live with, and make content that helps people choose well.

Petfiliate is an affiliate marketing network for pet creators, and Chewy is its launch partner. If you create pet content and want to work with pet brands, apply to join Petfiliate to get started.