China’s pet food market is entering a new phase. The category is still growing, but the growth is becoming more specific: pet owners are paying closer attention to nutrition, health claims, ingredients, supplements and product formats. At the same time, domestic pet food brands are becoming more competitive, and imported brands can no longer rely on foreign origin alone.

Key takeaway: China’s pet food market is moving toward more specialised demand. Functional nutrition, supplements, online discovery and cat-related consumption are becoming more important, while domestic competition and regulatory requirements are raising the bar for international brands.

China’s Pet Economy Has Passed RMB 300 Billion

Pet Food Remains the Core of China’s Pet Economy

China’s urban dog and cat consumption market reached RMB 312.6 billion in 2025, up 4.1% year on year, according to the 2026 China Pet Industry White Paper. Pet food remained the largest consumption category, accounting for 53.7% of the market.

Pet food is still the category where most spending happens. But within that category, the market is becoming more segmented. Main food, snacks and nutrition products all increased slightly as a share of spending in 2025, which suggests that owners are not only buying more food, but also spending across more specific food-related categories.

Fresh and Functional Pet Food Is Becoming a Stronger Growth Theme

One of the clearest signals from the 2026 China Pet Industry White Paper is the rise of fresh food and functional upgrades in the pet food category. The report highlights that pet owners buying fresh pet food pay most attention to ingredient freshness and source, nutritional composition and formula, and palatability.

This shows how pet food is moving beyond basic feeding. Chinese pet owners are increasingly looking at whether a product feels fresh, whether the formula is scientific, and whether the pet will actually accept it. For brands, this means the product story needs to be specific and practical. Claims such as “premium” or “high quality” are weaker than clear explanations around digestion, coat health, joint support, palatability, ingredient source or life-stage nutrition.

Product Benefits Are Becoming More Specific

Product Benefits Are Becoming More SpecificA 2025 pet food market trend report highlights three directions in China’s pet food consumption: a return to quality through ingredients and production processes, functional upgrades driven by product benefits, and emotional or experience-led consumption scenarios. The report also notes that functional growth is linked to areas such as digestion, coat care and joint health.

This is relevant because it shows how consumers are evaluating pet food in more concrete terms. They are not only asking whether a product is imported or expensive. They are asking what it does, what it contains, how it is made, and whether it fits their pet’s specific condition or stage of life.

For international brands, this creates opportunities in more specialised product categories: sensitive stomach formulas, senior pet nutrition, kitten and puppy food, hairball control, urinary health, joint support, functional snacks and nutrition supplements. But these benefits need to be explained in a way that Chinese consumers can quickly understand and compare.

Cat Food and Life-Stage Nutrition Deserve More Attention

China’s pet food market is also becoming more precise in how it looks at different pets and different life stages. Pet food is moving from general products toward more refined and functional products designed for different ages and physiological conditions.

This matters for cat food in particular. Cat owners often compare formulas based on digestion, hairball support, urinary health, palatability and ingredient quality. As the market matures, a general cat food product may struggle to stand out unless it answers a more specific need.

For brands, this means product segmentation should be part of the China strategy from the start. Instead of presenting one broad product range, companies may need to identify which formulas are most relevant to Chinese pet owners and build content around the needs those products solve.

Domestic Brands Are Raising the Competitive Bar

Chinese pet food brands are becoming stronger competitors, investing in product development, functional nutrition, ingredient quality and online sales. Many are also becoming more effective at responding to local consumer preferences, making it harder for imported brands to compete on reputation and country of origin alone.

This growing competition is also reflected in China's import figures. According to the same 2026 report, China's dog and cat food imports fell to USD 474.8 million in 2025, down from USD 501.2 million in 2024. The report links the decline partly to stronger domestic production and tariff adjustments, which have increased pressure on imported products.

International brands still have opportunities, particularly in specialised formulas, functional nutrition and products with strong quality and traceability credentials. However, these advantages need to be clearly communicated. As Chinese brands continue to improve their products and strengthen their presence on local platforms, international suppliers need to give consumers a more specific reason to choose their products.

What International Brands Should Take From These Developments

The most important development in China’s pet food market is not one single number. It is the direction of demand. Pet owners are becoming more specific in what they want: fresher ingredients, clearer formulas, functional benefits, life-stage nutrition, better palatability and more trustworthy product information.

This creates opportunities for international brands, but also raises the standard. Brands need to show why their product fits Chinese consumer needs, how it compares with domestic alternatives, and what evidence supports its claims.

The practical next step is to identify the strongest China-relevant product angle. That could be functional nutrition, ingredient quality, fresh or minimally processed food, cat-specific formulas, senior pet support, digestive health or premium treats. Once that angle is clear, the brand story, platform content and sales materials can be built around it.

The Bottom Line

China’s pet food market remains one of the more interesting consumer sectors to watch in 2026. The market has passed RMB 312.6 billion in urban dog and cat consumption, and food remains the largest spending category. But the real story is inside the category: fresh food, functional nutrition, life-stage feeding, ingredient transparency and stronger local brands are changing how competition works.

For international brands, China is still attractive, but the market is becoming more selective. The brands with the strongest position will be those that can explain a specific product benefit, support it with credible proof, meet compliance requirements and build visibility in the Chinese channels where pet owners research, compare and discuss products.

Exploring Opportunities for Your Pet Food Brand in China?

At NextportChina, we help international brands understand the Chinese market and develop a local marketing strategy that reflects these changing consumer preferences and competitive conditions. For example, in our work with German pet food company BEWITAL Petfood, we analysed its digital performance, competitor positioning and marketing activities across China’s key platforms to identify opportunities for stronger positioning, audience targeting and future growth. 

If you're exploring opportunities for your pet food brand in China, contact us to discuss how we can support your strategy.