Cats reach a quarter of vet visits, highlighting feline care gap: full analysis

CURRENT FULL VERSION: Cats are taking a larger share of the veterinary visit mix, and CATalyst Council wants the profession to see that as both a care gap and a business signal. In its February 24, 2026 release, the organization said cats reached 24.7% of U.S. veterinary clinical visits in the fourth quarter of 2025, the highest feline share it has recorded, while feline visits grew in all four quarters of 2025 despite contraction in the broader companion-animal market. CATalyst estimated the feline veterinary market generated $12.7 billion in practice revenue in 2025, but could reach roughly $33.9 billion if cats matched dogs on access to care and visit intensity. (catalystcouncil.org)

This didn’t emerge overnight. CATalyst spent 2025 building the case that feline medicine was becoming strategically more important as overall visit growth slowed. In an August 2025 announcement, the group launched a large household survey to better understand the behavioral and emotional reasons cat-focused pet parents do, or don’t, seek care. By January 2026, CATalyst was already framing 2025 as a “turning point” for feline medicine, citing sustained feline visit growth, demographic tailwinds, and the role of feline-specific protocols and clearer communication in reducing barriers to care. (catalystcouncil.org)

The newest figures add specifics. According to CATalyst, cats represented nearly one in four clinical interactions at U.S. practices in Q4 2025, and feline visits outperformed broader market trends for 12 straight quarters. The group also said revenue per kitten visit, at $162, had essentially reached parity with puppy visits at $161, and that each additional feline clinical visit represents about $246 in clinical revenue. CATalyst linked part of the shift to housing and lifestyle trends, arguing that an older first-time homebuyer population and tighter housing conditions may favor cat adoption and retention over dogs. (catalystcouncil.org)

Its companion March 12, 2026 survey release pushed the argument further. Based on more than 60,000 U.S. households surveyed by Kynetec and Forward Group, CATalyst estimated there are about 76 million cats in American homes, representing 45% of all cats and dogs in households. The organization said 90% of cat parents report a very strong emotional bond with their cat, but only about one in three cats receives annual veterinary care from a traditional practice, compared with roughly seven in 10 dogs. CATalyst’s estimate of the opportunity at the practice level was about $663,000, including $497,000 tied to closing the medicalization gap and another $166,000 from increasing care intensity. (catalystcouncil.org)

Industry commentary broadly supports the idea that the “cat gap” is real, even if CATalyst’s revenue framing is its own. AAHA, citing AVMA and other feline-care research, noted in late 2025 that the U.S. cat population had climbed to 76.3 million and pointed to evidence that cat-friendly practices report higher revenue per visit, higher annual mean visits per cat, and more diagnoses of common conditions. Separate trade coverage of the AVMA’s latest demographics data also reported that cat parents are less likely than dog parents to have a regular veterinary relationship, reinforcing the idea that underutilization, not lack of attachment, is the central problem. (aaha.org)

Why it matters: For veterinary professionals, this story is really about case mix, workflow, and client communication. If feline demand is proving more resilient than canine demand, practices may need to think less about whether cats are an opportunity and more about whether their systems are built to capture that opportunity. That includes scheduling, handling, exam-room flow, preventive care messaging, diagnostics, and pricing conversations that reduce friction for cat-focused pet parents. CATalyst’s own prior reporting has emphasized cost, perceived value, and visit-related stress as key barriers, and the broader feline-care literature has long suggested that cat-friendly protocols can improve both utilization and clinical yield. (catalystcouncil.org)

There’s also a wider population-health angle. One of the source items tied to this story highlighted Best Friends Animal Society’s 2026 report showing nearly 75% fewer cats were killed in U.S. shelters in 2025 than a decade earlier, based on data from more than 10,000 shelters. Best Friends attributed that improvement to expanded community-cat programs that spay, neuter, vaccinate, and return cats to outdoor homes; a 20% rise in cat adoptions, driven largely by Gen Z; and the growth of kitten foster programs that improve survival and reduce overcrowding. While shelter outcomes and practice utilization are different measures, together they point in the same direction: more cats are surviving, entering homes, and potentially needing long-term veterinary care. The gains are substantial, but incomplete: Best Friends said about 200,000 cats are still killed annually, and the report was released as shelters headed into kitten season, when intake typically surges. (bestfriends.org)

What to watch: CATalyst said preliminary conclusions from its household survey were expected in early March 2026, with fuller findings feeding into the 2026 State of the Cat report; for practices, the most useful next data will be the operational details on which messages, visit designs, and care models actually convert bonded but under-engaged cat parents into regular patients. The shelter side is worth watching too: Best Friends continues to push toward a national “no-kill” benchmark, defined as a 90% save rate, and seasonal kitten intake will test whether recent progress in feline survival can be sustained. (catalystcouncil.org)