Meow Chow

Looks Are Everything
Standing on the cat food aisle staring at the sea of choices on the shelf may be a dizzying experience for a customer.

Manufacturers are aware of this "sea sickness" condition that can occur with cat owners. To address this, some manufacturers have updated packaging of cat food products because they know what a powerful effect packaging can have on a purchase.

"Competition starts with the appearance of a product," says Daryl Rosenberg, the general manager for Centinella Feed and Pet Supplies, a retail shop in Beverly Hills, Calif. "You have to look good in order to get people interested."

Cat food packaging has come a long way in the past few decades. Cat foods now reveal a cleaner appearance, thanks to see-through lids, foil packaging, and travel packs.

"A lot of packaging has become slicker and more attractive," Rosenberg says. "It used to be more basic and generic-looking, like paper bags, it wasn't that enticing to look at."

In smaller retail shops where customer service is top priority, packaging will have less impact in consumer buying habits but still plays a role. However, in a big box store, packaging may be a strong determining factor in which product a consumer chooses, Rosenberg says.

"When someone walks into a store, if they see something that looks good they'll choose that product over another one without even questioning it," Rosenberg says.

Six Questions to Ask Consumers When Introducing New Cat Food Lines
What are you currently feeding your cat?
How is that working for you?
What have you fed your cat in the past?
Why did you stop feeding that to your cat?
Have you heard of this trend in cat nutrition?
Can I tell you how this may help benefit your cat?

Formula Addresses No. 1 Feline Health Issue

A urinary tract infection was the most common reason for a cat owner to make an insurance claim upon visiting a veterinarian, says a 2005 study done by Veterinary Pet Insurance, Co. (VPI).

Manufacturers have taken note of these figures and are formulating foods to address this specific and common health problem.

One way this is being done is with cranberries. Eating cranberries or drinking cranberry juice has been noted in the human health arena as a remedy for preventing urinary tract infections.

“Many of the same solutions used to resolve human challenges can also be applicable to an animal solution,” says Mark Shuster, the vice president of marketing for Old Mother Hubbard, a manufacturer based in Chelmsford, Mass.

Old Mother Hubbard released a line of cat foods in February 2007 that uses three sources of cranberries, along with other healthful ingredients, to create optimal feline urinary tract health.

“Cats get urinary tract infections when bacteria adhere to the urinary tract,” Shuster says. “The cranberries help to block the bacteria from adhering.”

Upset stomach and kidney disease rounded out VPI’s list of the top three most common feline health problems requiring professional care.

Meow Chow
Cat food trends are going natural and holistic
By Scott and Ann Springer

In years past, the image of cat food was pretty simple.

Cat food commercials depicted a cat owner snapping off the metal lid of a little tin can to reveal moist and chewy chunks of food that a spotlessly groomed, perfectly white cat would feast on after running into the kitchen.

But today if you peruse the shelves at a high-end pet store such as Centinella Feed and Pet Supplies in Beverly Hills, Calif., you'll see a wide array of options—everything from the traditional dry kibble to holistic foods to raw foods, says Daryl Rosenberg, the store's general manager.

"It's a youth movement right now," Rosenberg says. "The younger customer base is into having a healthier pet and wants what's best for their animals. They're willing to go a very long way in order to benefit their ‘family members.'"

Rosenberg recognizes that not all customers are ready to make changes, but he does see the future of this category swaying heavily away from the traditional and moving instead toward holistic and natural foods.

"We're making a directional change into healthy cat foods," Rosenberg says. "We're getting a jump on that change because we see that being the future."

An Era of Choices
In this era of choices and premium pet products, the cat food industry is addressing the wide variety of needs of cats. Foods now come in many more forms than in the days of the old tin can or the typical kibble.

"Variety is the spice of life," Rosenberg says. "If I went into a store and they showed me one brand and said, ‘This is the best,' I'd be a bit skeptical."

Rosenberg stocks more than a dozen different brands with a dozen or more flavors and varieties available within each brand. He feels this wide selection appeals to all consumers and their cats.

"People like to go into a store and have options," Rosenberg says. "They like to have the ability to choose between a variety of foods that all have great benefits and are in that upper echelon of foods."

Cat foods have followed the human trend of going high protein and straying from grain-based products.

"Pets were treated like livestock and fed grain-based diets, but at the end of the day, cats are carnivores," Rosenberg says. "A lot of consumers recognize this and are switching their cats to meat-based diets."

Cat food manufacturers have answered the demand for higher protein diets by using duck and other unique protein sources, Carter says.

"I think you are starting to see more exotic flavors come in with cat food," Carter says. "You see them diversify with things that people consume themselves and are now translating into pet foods."

Higher protein foods tend to carry a higher price tag, but don't let this be a road block for consumers.

"Higher end foods have higher protein levels, so you have to feed the cat less food," says Stephanie Nadeau, president of Wild Kitty Cat Foods, a Kennebunkport, Maine-based manufacturer.

"These foods take up less square footage but bring in more dollars, so the more expensive the food is the better it is for you and your customers," Nadeau says.

Going Into Nature
The trend for high-protein goes hand-in-hand with natural diets.

"Seventy percent of shoppers in health food stores own pets, which is a much higher percentage than those shopping in conventional stores," says Dave Carter, vice president for producer relations for Natural Pet Nutrition in Westminster, Colo., who quotes a study done by his company in 2003.

"Right now there's a big movement into raw foods and we've put a lot of focus on natural diets," Rosenberg says.

The American Pet Products Manufacturers Association recognized for the first time last year raw diets as a segment in the dog and cat food category. "It made enough of an inroad to be recognized," Nadeau says.

While the overall percentage of raw diets to entire dog and cat food category was less than 1 percent, Nadeau says this is just the beginning of a growing trend. "I see it going no where but up," she says.

As natural and organic labels are splattered across packaging in the human food arena, the same is becoming common amongst pet foods, says Jace Wallace, the marketing planner for Dad's Pet Care, a pet food manufacturer located in Meadville, Penn.

"It eventually translates back into the dog and cat food industry," Wallace says. "We've got to be constantly looking at what's going on in our industry and in others to see the trends and how they're evolving."

Customers are more educated about pet foods than ever before and they're now looking down the pipeline too.

"There's always that customer base that is looking for the next best thing," Wallace says.

Fine-Tuning Health While Fine Dining
Another area where manufacturers are focusing attention is on specific health issues that are common among cats such as urinary tract infections, hairball problems, and other common ailments.

"If you look at the shelf, manufacturers offer formulas of all kinds: sensitive stomach, low ash, coat care," Nadeau says. "They've segmented the foods by health problems."

Randy Klein stocks the shelves of her New York City, N.Y. shop, Whiskers Holistic Petcare, according to what ailments, problems, and needs a cat has.

"The foods we recommend are based on the individual cats' needs and requirements," Klein says.

Manufacturers saw the market demand for higher quality foods and have tried to address their needs specifically.

"Pet food companies are looking out for the health of your pet and are developing formulas to help you do that," Wallace says.

These medicinal-type foods, as well as reduce-calorie diets, are especially appealing for indoor cat owners. "It seems to be the hot thing to cater to indoor cats and for those that don't get outside as much," Wallace says.

Opening the Doors to Education
"If you aren't careful, you could recommend the wrong thing for the wrong animal and do more harm than good," Klein says.

Make sure you do your homework before you choose brands that your store will be loyal to, Klein says. She recommends gathering information from lectures, workshops, associations, books, and other reputable sources.

"Make sure you've educated yourself as much you can on what you're recommending," Klein says.

Select foods that use human-grade ingredients over waste products, such as chicken over chicken meal, Nadeau recommends.

Look for products that have a high protein and fat content. "Cats derive many of the vitamins they need from animal fat," Nadeau says.

Animals that cats hunt for in the wild, such as mice and birds, are about 26 percent fat, while most cat foods are only nine percent fat, Nadeau says.

Once you've selected the best of the best for your customer base, you can initiate some simple questions with your cat customers.

"We ask a lot of questions," Rosenberg says. "We probe them to find out what they've fed their cat in the past, if they were happy with it, and why or why not?"

One-on-one customer support is what draws customers into independently owned retail shops and keeps them returning.

"When we ask them about how things are going with their current cat food it opens up the door for education," Rosenberg says. "They may not be aware of newer movements in this category or the shift on what cats need to eat and why."