"Spoining cats rotten"

Cat food is increasingly becoming the growth driver of the pet supplies sector worldwide. What do you believe is behind this trend?When it comes to what is the most popular pet, cats top the list in many countries, often beating dogs by a considerable margin. The fact that they are the biggest pet population in terms of numbers naturally explains why expenditure on cats is especially high compared with other types of pet. In addition, the emotional attachment of cat owners to their pet is frequently deeper than in the case of other pet animals. Because they want their pet to be fit and happy, they are also prepared to indulge it with the best possible food and acces­sories.We see generally that pets are becoming increasingly important. One reason for this lies in the demographic trend: more and more young singles or older people like having a pet to share their life with, and the pet is treated as a full member of the family.In Europe, the single-serve portion segment in particular is experiencing strong growth. Where are innovations to be found in this sub-segment?The success of single-serve portions is down to a variety of factors. On the one hand, single-serve pouches meet the con­su­mer's need for convenience, because they are extremely practical and easy to use. Moreover, there is a general trend towards premium and super-premium food that is particularly catered for in the single-serve segment. High-quality, tasty ingredients are especially important to the buyers, who attach growing importance to variety and change to pamper their cats.Your experience of the US market extends back over several years. Do you see trends there similar to those in Europe?In general, many aspects of the European and the US market coincide. The demographic trend is the same - more singles, more older people, although the population is not falling there. Nevertheless, the pet food market in the USA is not simple, and the recession there will have consequences in the medium to long term. We assume, for example, that when a pet dies, many people will wait longer to get a new one.The fundamental trends like convenience, premium products and healthy nutrition are the same in Europe and the USA. One successful American concept that we have introduced in Germany also is "chef-inspired cuisine" for cats. Our "Gourmet à la carte" range caters for the wishes of cat own­ers who want to spoil their cats in the extreme with menus inspired by head chefs.Apart from single serve, what…