China's Pet Market: CN¥ 17bn, Male Owners Now Majority

Executive Summary

China's online pet market reached CN¥ 17.04 billion in Q1 2024 (+0.4% YoY), with unit volume surging to 320 million units (+24.8% YoY) — a divergence that reflects intense price competition as supply chains scaled up. Male pet owners crossed the majority threshold for the first time, reaching 55.5% of the owner base. Cat complete food led the market at CN¥ 4.22 billion (+12.8% YoY), with baked cat food emerging as the breakout sub-category at +150.9% YoY growth.

A Market Growing in Volume, Not Price

China's online pet market delivered stable top-line results in Q1 2024, but the headline sales figure understates the dynamism beneath it. Total sales of CN¥ 17.04 billion (+0.4% YoY) masked unit volume growth of +24.8% YoY to 320 million units — confirming that consumer demand for pet products is accelerating even as average selling prices decline. The average price per unit fell to CN¥ 53.4 as supply chain expansion, particularly for chicken-based protein sources, exerted sustained downward pressure across the market.

The macro drivers supporting long-term demand growth remain firmly intact. China's single-person households continue to grow, driven by urbanisation, rising marriage ages, and shifting lifestyle preferences. For solo residents, urban young adults, and the elderly, companion animals are increasingly fulfilling a social and emotional role that traditional family structures no longer provide. Multi-pet households are also on the rise, with pets perceived as bringing joy and enhanced family wellbeing.

Cat baked food leads pet growth with +150.9% YoY; freeze-dried snacks and beds also surging

Platform Dynamics: Myfoodie Leads Across Channels

From a competitive standpoint, Myfoodie (麦富迪) has established a dominant multi-platform presence. The brand secured the #1 position on Tmall (天猫) with 3.1% market share and on Douyin (抖音) with 4.7% market share, and ranked #2 on JD.com (京东) with 5.7% market share — making it the single most powerful brand in China's online pet market by breadth of distribution.

Royal Canin (皇家) retains its premium positioning and leads on JD.com with a 7.9% market share, commanding an average selling price of CN¥ 229.1 — more than triple the category average. This price premium reflects a consumer base that prioritises veterinary-endorsed, scientifically-formulated nutrition, and is willing to pay for it.

The three major online platforms present distinct competitive profiles:

• Tmall (天猫): Royal Canin at CN¥ 221.9 average price versus Myfoodie at CN¥ 65.9, showing the breadth of consumer segments served on the platform
• JD.com (京东): Higher average prices overall (Orijen at CN¥ 448.8, Bonatianpure at CN¥ 201.1), reflecting JD's reputation for premium and imported goods
• Douyin (抖音): Lower average prices (Puante at CN¥ 30.5, Miaofansi at CN¥ 45.0), consistent with the platform's content-commerce model reaching broader, more price-sensitive audiences

The "Cat Economy" Consolidates Its Dominance

Cat complete food (全价猫主粮) is China's largest online pet staple food category by far, achieving CN¥ 4.22 billion in Q1 2024 with YoY growth of +12.8%. Dog complete food (全价狗主粮) ranked second at CN¥ 1.81 billion (+8.2% YoY). The gap between cat and dog food continues to widen.

Cat complete food leads at CN¥ 4.22bn; baked food growing fastest at +150.9%

A Landmark Demographic Shift: Male Owners Now the Majority

One of the most striking developments in China's pet market in recent years is the rapid rise of male pet ownership. In Q1 2023, male pet owners accounted for 30.3% of the total. By Q1 2024, this proportion had risen to 55.5% — crossing the 50% threshold for the first time and making male owners the majority demographic.

This shift is primarily attributed to declining marriage rates and growing male consumer spending on companionship-oriented categories, as more men live alone and look to pets to fill social and emotional needs. The demographic implications for product strategy are significant: marketing content that has historically skewed toward female consumers — emotional lifestyle imagery, nurturing themes — will need to be recalibrated.

The broader consumer base segments into three primary groups:

• Urban single young adults who keep pets as companions in solo living arrangements
• Multi-pet families for whom pets add joy and warmth to household life
• The silver economy (seniors) — an increasingly important and under-served segment as China's population ages

Each segment has distinct needs in terms of product format, price point, and communication style, presenting differentiated opportunities for brands willing to invest in precise positioning.

Three Trends Shaping the Next Phase of Growth

Three interconnected structural trends will define the trajectory of China's pet market over the coming years. Taken together, they represent a fundamental shift in how Chinese consumers perceive, relate to, and spend on their companion animals.

Trend 1: Anthropomorphization. Pets are no longer seen as traditional companion animals — they are treated as family members and friends. This mindset shift is driving the migration of entire product categories from the human consumer market into the pet space. Snacks, health supplements, and grooming products that mirror their human-use equivalents are thriving. Brands that can credibly inhabit this emotional positioning will build lasting consumer loyalty.

Trend 2: Scientific and Refined Pet Care. As pet care knowledge is continuously popularised and shared across social platforms, pet owners are becoming increasingly discerning. They demand transparency on nutritional composition, scrutinise ingredient lists, and evaluate production processes — baking temperature, meat powder content, allergen profiles. Functional needs are diversifying: external benefits (coat care, cheek plumping, skin health), internal health benefits (gut care, joint support), and category innovations (prescription diets, palatability-optimised wet food) are all growing. Brands with robust R&D and credible scientific credentials are best positioned to win.

Trend 3: The Dual Perspective. The pet market shares a structural parallel with the infant/toddler market: in both cases, the buyer and the end user are different. Successful pet products must simultaneously satisfy the needs of two distinct stakeholders. From the owner's perspective: aesthetics, emotional value, social sharing currency, and usage convenience. From the pet's perspective: palatability and nutritional balance are non-negotiable. Brands that master this dual-perspective framework will have a durable competitive advantage.

Key Takeaways

• China's online pet market reached CN¥ 17.04 billion in Q1 2024 (+0.4% YoY), with volume surging +24.8% YoY to 320 million units as price competition intensified.
• Male pet owners crossed the majority threshold for the first time, rising from 30.3% in Q1 2023 to 55.5% in Q1 2024 — a structural demographic shift driven by declining marriage rates.
• Cat complete food dominates at CN¥ 4.22 billion (+12.8% YoY); cat baked food is the breakout sub-category at +150.9% YoY and approaching 10% of cat staple food sales.
• Myfoodie (麦富迪) leads across Tmall and Douyin; Royal Canin (皇家) retains premium leadership on JD.com with 7.9% market share.
• Three structural trends — anthropomorphization, scientific pet care, and the dual-perspective framework — will define the competitive landscape through 2025 and beyond.

About the Data

This analysis draws on Moojing Market Intelligence (魔镜洞察) proprietary e-commerce data covering Tmall (天猫), JD.com (京东), and Douyin (抖音) for the period January–March 2024 (Q1 2024), with year-on-year comparisons against Q1 2023. Social media data covers Douyin (抖音), Xiaohongshu (小红书), and Weibo (微博).

Moojing Market Intelligence tracks 400,000+ brands across 30+ e-commerce platforms in 20+ countries. For the full dataset and methodology, download the complete report. Contact: [email protected] | moojing-global.com.