Only the best is good enough

The sector has every reason to purr with contentment: the population figures for cats have been rising for years and are growing in most countries of the world. In the USA, every third household on average has at least one cat. In France, the number of cats increased from 9.7 mio to 10.3 mio between 2003 and 2008. The cat population in Australia is recording significant increases too, while in Germany the cat is the undisputed number one in the pet rankings, with 8.2 mio cats in the country as a whole. Cats are low-maintenance pets Compared with dogs, cats are relatively easy to keep and are thus the ideal pet for people who are short on time, or for single people. Cats don't have to be taken for a walk. They can also be left on their own for short periods, because they are independent creatures and can keep themselves amused. People who acquire a cat love their pets and want to treat them well, and this is why super-premium and premium cat food products are growing faster in the market than foods in other price categories. Even in the recession-hit year 2009, health-related pet products, from high-grade foods to preventative veterinary care, proved to be among the most recession-resistant because consumers typically view them as nondiscretionary expenditure that can be far less costly than the kinds of long-term health conditions that potentially result from poor nutrition or inadequate medical care. Moist cat food continues to be the dominant product in most markets. Single-serve products in particular have gained considerable importance in the market in the last few years. The selection of tray products available has assumed burgeoning proportions, both with regard to the size of these pack units and the various different flavours available. Dry food still gaining ground The large number of countries in which cats are still fed predominantly on moist food includes big markets like Germany, Great Britain and Italy. In Spain or Romania, on the other hand, dry food dominates the cat food market, and it's not just here that dry cat food has made good progress in recent years; this sub-segment is growing almost every-where. The pet supplies trade in particular has seized the opportunity to differentiate itself qualitatively from other distribution channels by selling dry products of premium and super-premium quality. Thanks to new brands it has also succeeded, however, in gaining a greater foothold in the moist food market, the classic domain of the…