Veterinary clinics face structural shift as puppy visits decline and cat care offers growth opportunities, says CATalyst Council

The CATalyst Council’s latest analysis predicts a prolonged period of modest decline in U.S. veterinary visits, with pet care shifting focus from dogs to cats amid demographic and economic challenges.

CATalyst Council’s updated analysis suggests U.S. veterinary clinics should plan for a prolonged period of modest visit contraction, with clinical volumes projected to fall by 1% to 2% a year through 2035. The organisation’s second edition of its Puppocalypse, Kitten Craze and the Expectations Reset report, based on second-quarter 2026 data, says the outlook remains largely unchanged from its first forecast.

The new figures show puppy visits down 10.5% year on year, extending a run of four straight annual declines. Kitten visits, by contrast, rose 1.3%, reinforcing the idea that feline care may offer the clearest route to organic growth. Overall clinical visits slipped 1.5% in fiscal 2026, broadly in line with the earlier prediction.

CATalyst Council said a household survey covering more than 60,000 U.S. homes points to a continuing shortage of young dogs entering households, which it sees as a key demographic driver behind the weaker puppy pipeline. The group expects the sharpest drop in visits to come in fiscal 2027, before the pace of decline gradually eases.

The report also points to inflation and housing pressures as possible contributors to fewer puppies in the home. For practices, the implication is less about a cyclical dip than a structural reset: dog visit growth may remain subdued, while the biggest expansion opportunity is likely to come from better engagement, compliance and preventive care in cats.

Image Source: Catalyst Council