Cats to the Rescue!

Believe it or not, there is a declining number of dog-owning households in the U.S. According to Packaged Facts, MRI-Simmons National Consumer Studies, the number of dog-owning households fell by 5% between 2019 and 2023, from 52.5 million to 49.9 million. Millennials and Gen Z, who helped drive up pet ownership numbers during COVID, are currently rethinking their love affairs with dogs. And dogs represent over 80% of most veterinary practice’s volume, so this is having a negative effect on your customers.

While this is a challenge, the data shows cat-owning households are growing, which may help offset the loss of dog-owning households. Those same Packaged Facts, MRI Simmons Studies tracked 5% growth in cat-owning households from 2019 to 2023, growing from 30.6 million to 32.1 million. Many believe the trend will continue, given cats are perceived as low maintenance and much less work than their canine counterparts.

Recently, the CATalyst Council, a nonprofit that promotes the health and well-being of cats, completed a survey of 410 companion animal veterinarians and 1,933 cat owners, publishing the results in the CATalyst Report – State of the Cat: Wellness and Nutrition 2024. The findings of the survey reveal significant untapped opportunities to deliver better and more complete health and wellness care for the 70-80 million population of cats in the U.S. The bottom line: we need to get more cats into veterinary practices.

In the survey, 79% of veterinarians felt that cats represented the most significant missed opportunity for the veterinary practices; 35% of veterinarians said their practice was making more of an effort to attract cat-owning clients; 33% felt their cat-owning clients would not bring their cats in more often for wellness exams, regardless of what they did.

As a DSR, what can you do to help? Reference the survey which also says 50% of veterinarians scheduled the next wellness exam before the cat leaves the practice. That should be replicated! The survey also says 41% of veterinarians ask about other household pets at every visit and ask clients to schedule wellness exams for any pets not seen in the past 12 months, another great point to share with your customers. And 34% offered discounts for exams for multiple pets, which could help attract more business. This is a conversation worth having, given you have a vested interest in the health of your customers.

Photo credit:

istockphoto.com/Irina_Strelnikova