New global cat report released as feline medicine continues to lag behind its canine counterpart

Hill's Pet Nutrition announced that it recently published the first 2025 World of the Cat Report. The report is a 28-page resource offering insight on global cat demographics, advances in feline food, new feline treatments and diagnostics tests, the impact of veterinary care costs, and more. The new resource comes at a time when the need for feline-focused veterinary care is on the rise, according to the Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA).^1,2

Cats: the stragglers in veterinary medicine

Photo: Sergey Skleznev/Adobe Stock

Cat ownership worldwide has been steadily increasing over the past few decades, with the number of cat-owning households in the US growing from 27 million in 1996 to 42.3 million by 2024.³ According to the 2025 World of the Cat Report, China has an estimated 53 million pet cats. Russia trails behind with about 23 million pet cats, with 59% of Russians owning a cat, making Russia the country with the highest share of cat owners in the world.¹

The US, meanwhile, is home to the highest number of domesticated cats in the world, with approximately 74 million of these felines.¹ Currently, 1 in 3 households in the US has a cat.⁴ Despite the high number of cat ownership, cats continue to be the underdogs when it comes to veterinary care, with feline medicine lagging behind canine research.⁴

Previously, it was common for veterinarians to treat cats as smaller versions of dogs, using tests and treatments designed for dogs, for feline patients, according to a report by The New York Times (NYT).⁴ Even students in veterinary school received training that was based on the standard model of the dog.⁴

Still, cats have a different response to drugs compared to dogs, with some drugs having a toxic effect on these felines.^4,5 For example, drugs relying on metabolic conjugation, such as aspirin, propofol, acetaminophen, and carprofen, are cleared more slowly in cats than in dogs.⁵ Piroxicam, meanwhile, which is metabolized primarily by oxidation, is eliminated faster in cats than in dogs.⁵ Additionally, the elimination of half-life values for metabolized drugs—oxidized and/or conjugated drugs—varies between cats and dogs.⁵

Although research in feline medicine has progressed in the past years, this area of veterinary medicine is “still considered a bit of a niche interest,” Karen Lisette Perry, BVM&S, CERTSAS, DECVS, MRCVS, MSC Vet Ed, FFCP-I, professor of feline medicine and associate professor of orthopedic surgery at the Michigan State University College of Veterinary Medicine said in a NYT report.⁴

Earlier this year, dvm360 met with Sandra Koch, DVM, MS, DACVD, professor at the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine and director of the school’s Veterinary Medical Center Dermatology Service, to talk about feline atopic skin syndrome—a recently proposed name for environmental allergies or atopic dermatitis in cats. In the interview, Koch raised one issue feline medicine is facing: a lack of options for treating cats for skin conditions compared to dogs. “Research is moving very slowly in the understanding of the pathogenesis of this condition in cats compared [to] dogs. And if we don't understand the disease very well, it becomes more of a challenge to treat, right?” Koch said, highlighting the need for more research in feline medicine.⁶

2025 World of the Cat Report

The inaugural 2025 World of the Cat Report is Hill’s first feline-focused comprehensive effort, according to the AVMA. The report stems from Hill's' Cat Advisory Team (CAT)—an initiative formed in 2024 as a response to the need for resources focused on feline medicine and research.²

“With the rise in feline ownership comes a rise in the need for feline-focused veterinary care,” David Quinter, regional sales director at Hill’s said in an AVMA report.² “The biggest takeaway from the report is the need for veterinary health care teams to feel equipped with feline-focused resources and tools to help with the increased demand in feline care.”

According to the report, only 40% of pet owners take their cats to the veterinarian each year. Meanwhile, 82% of dogs visit the veterinarian annually. The report suggests the stress cats and clients experience from veterinary visits may play a role in fewer pet owners seeking veterinary care for their cats.¹

Related: Tips for making veterinary visits less stressful for patients

Additionally, the top conditions diagnosed in cats are gastrointestinal disease, dental disease, urinary tract disease (both upper and lower), upper respiratory tract diseases, obesity/being overweight, kidney disease, and behavior concerns.¹ The report also notes that the feline immunodeficiency and feline leukemia viruses remain the 2 most common feline infectious diseases globally.¹

Among the content in the report are mentions of new feline-specific textbooks, as well as one that will be released in 2026; various new lab tests; the new oral hypoglycemic agents bexagliflozin and velagliflozin, which are sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitors; recent Feline Veterinary Medical Association/International Society of Feline Medicine guidelines; accredited Cat Friendly Practices; and the antiviral drug GS-441524 for treating feline infectious peritonitis.¹

Hill’s has plans to release updated World of the Cat reports each year with the goal of developing a reference guide on feline nutrition and behavior materials. The move comes as the company embraces a “feline-first” attitude, according to the AVMA.²

“Feline-first approaches not only get felines in the door but keep them coming back, allowing for effective preventive care and the early detection of common conditions,” said Quinter in an AVMA report.²

References

1. 2025 Hill’s Pet Nutrition World of the cat report. Hill’s Pet Nutrition. Accessed April 16, 2025. https://na.hillsvna.com/en_US/resources-2/view/244
2. Won C. Hill’s releases inaugural global cat report amid push to focus on felines. American Veterinary Medical Association. April 2, 2025. Accessed April 16, 2025. https://www.avma.org/news/hills-releases-inaugural-global-cat-report-amid-push-focus-felines
3. Pet population continues to increase while pet spending declines. American Veterinary Medical Association. October 10, 2024. Accessed April 16, 2025. https://www.avma.org/news/pet-population-continues-increase-while-pet-spending-declines
4. Anthes E. Why are cats such a medical black box? The New York Times. March 11, 2025. Accessed April 16, 2025. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/11/science/cats-veterinarians-health.html
5. Court MH. Feline drug metabolism and disposition. Veterinary Clinics of North America: Small Animal Practice. 2013;43(5):1039-1054. doi:10.1016/j.cvsm.2013.05.002
6. Bautista-Alejandre A, Koch S. Treatment options for cats with feline atopic skin syndrome. dvm360. March 13, 2025. Accessed April 16, 2025. https://www.dvm360.com/view/treatment-options-for-cats-with-feline-atopic-skin-syndrome