Cats are more popular than ever, which means retailers have the chance to drive sales in this historically underserved category by stocking a great toy selection.

Dogs may be man’s best friend, but cats are actually the largest portion of the pet population in America. According to the 2017-2018 APPA National Pet Owners Survey, there are approximately 94.2 million pet cats in the country compared to 89.7 pet canines, and pet retailers simply cannot afford to ignore these numbers.

“While most pet stores are historically directed toward dogs, there are literally millions of homes (and growing) with cat owners, many of which have multiple cats per home,” says Chris Glissman, CEO of Kansas City, Mo.-based catnip supplier Meowijuana. “Thus, retailers would be very savvy to expand their cat inventory and planograms to support a larger following of feline supporters.”

These cat owners are increasingly interested in (and willing to spend more money on) keeping their felines friends active and entertained, especially Millennials, says Eric Merva, manager at Los Angeles-based Vee Enterprises.

This is a big change for a historically underserved category. For years, cat toys were limited to a small selection of plastic balls and plush mice. Today, however, manufacturers and retailers alike are stepping up to meet the booming demand for feline-focused toys.

“Cat owners, even more than dog owners, are very conscious consumers.  For far too long, cat toys have been low quality and one size fits all. Manufactures are [now] finding that cat owners will respond very well to high-quality, well-designed toys,” explains Darin Eisenbarth, president of Petsport, a Pittsburg, Calif.-based pet toy manufacturer.