Cat Litter Products Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Product Type (Clumping, Conventional), By Raw Material (Clay, Silica), By Distribution Channel, And Segment Forecasts, 2019 - 2025

Industry Insights

The global cat litter products market size was valued at USD 3.9 billion in 2018 and is expected to expand at a healthy CAGR over the forecast period. Cat litter products are used as cleaning agents of the cat’s urine and feces. Most of the cat owners prefer not to let their cats outside the house owing to reasons such as human hostility and adverse weather.

The cat litter products play an important role in the health of the pet cats and the people in the house, thereby driving the market. The buying decision of the cat litter products involves both the cat owner and the cat. Cats are very selective about the products they use. Most cats do not like crystal form of the litter, some prefer silica gel litter, some do not like scented litter, and so on. This leads to an opportunity for the manufacturers to introduce various products.

Another factor responsible for the product demand is a substantial increase in the cat-owning households. Moreover, single-person households and willingness to own pets are increasing, which, in turn, has led to the demand for a product that suits better to small spaces and is more efficient. In addition to this, the global cat litter products market is driven by a rise in the number of multi-cat households. Furthermore, ever since cat care has become easier with the evolution of existing cat litter products, along with the introduction of new ones, consumer demand for variety in these products is increasing.

Moreover, the pet-owners have time constraints when it comes to cleaning responsibilities owing to the busy schedule and modern lifestyles. The self-cleaning cat litter helps in maintaining the cat pet’s hygiene, which proves to be a great time saver. Additionally, the weather has a great influence on litter product purchases. Demand for these products increase among consumers in winter, autumn, and monsoon seasons. The pet owners tend to encourage their cats to stay outdoors during the summer and spring season, hence the market is quite dull during these seasons.

However, there are certain challenges that are expected to negatively impact market growth. High price of the cat litter products retrains the market growth, since the cat owners in the developing countries are reluctant to buy costly pet care products. This also results in a situation where the market fails to introduce premium products more, which hampers the growth of the market.

Product Type Insights

The product type segment is classified as clumping and conventional or non-clumping products. Both these segments are expected to witness significant growth owing to the variation in the consumer product needs. Clumping cat litter is made up primarily of sodium bentonite, which clumps together when it comes into contact with moisture. It also binds the moisture inside the clump so that it can be easily scooped out, leaving behind a box of clean litter. These properties of the clumping litter are in itself the driving factors of the segment.

The conventional or non-clumping litter has calcium bentonite as its main component. It is a type of clay that is capable of absorbing its weight in fluid before it reaches its saturation point. After reaching the saturation point, the litter has to be replaced and the box has to be cleaned. This whole process takes about a week, which is why the product type is not preferred as much as the clumping litter. Moreover, unlike in the case of clumping clay, it is difficult to recognize whether the conventional clay is used up and ready for disposal, since it does not form clumps. Hence, most cat owners go for the clumping one.

Distribution Channel Insights

This segment comprises retail and supermarket and online platform. The retail and supermarket segment is anticipated to hold the largest share in the market, owing to consumer inclination towards one-stop shopping experience. Increasing disposable income in the developing countries of Asia Pacific is resulting in consumer’s preference for bulk purchases at the specialty stores. Furthermore, the managers at the pet shops mostly prefer actually visiting the store and placing an order for their cats.

The online channel is also anticipated to witness significant growth over the forecast period owing to technological advancements and rising adoption among consumers. Apart from the key players of the market, popular e-commerce platforms such as Amazon.in are encouraged to gain revenue by selling these beverages in countries like India and Japan, which have comparatively less specialty stores for these products. This indirectly is increasing the sales of the products through online distribution channels.

Raw Material Insights

This segment comprises clay, silica, and others. The clay segment is anticipated to hold a 68.4% share of the overall revenue by 2025owing to its highly absorbent and solid clump formation properties. Hence, it is preferred by many manufacturers as the raw material for various cat litter products. One of the major advantages of using clay is that it expands when in contact with liquid or moisture and immediately hardens. This makes it easily recognizable when it is time to dispose the litter.

The silica segment is expected to witness significant growth in the coming years. It comprises silica gel crystals that are small silica beads like those that are found in small pouches as preservatives in the packaged medication, foods, bags, and other products, which can be damaged due to excess moisture. This product type has properties like fairly absorbent, dust-free, and great odor control, which are expected to drive the demand for the segment. In addition to this, the product usually tends to produce less waste as compared to the clay litters, which makes it consumer-friendly.

Regional Insights

North America held the largest share of 40.0% in 2018. The region continues to be the leading market owing to increasing number of cat owners in the region. Countries such as the U.S. and Canada are the major markets in this region. About 87% of the cat owners in the U.S. purchase cat litter products in order to maintain hygiene of their pet cats. North America is followed by Europe, which also holds a significant share in the market.

Central and South America and Asia Pacific are expected to considerably contribute to the market growth over the forecast period. The former is anticipated to expand at a healthy CAGR of 3.6% in the forecast period. Countries such as India, China, and Brazil are majorly driving the market in these regions. Increasing willingness to spend on luxury items and pet care products in these countries has been driving the market.

India is anticipated to be the fastest growing market in the pet care products owing to rising disposable income. According to the India International Pet Trade Fair (IIPTF), the pet population was about 10 million in 2014 and around 0.60 million pets are adopted in the country every year. This results in an increase in the demand for cat litter product.

Cat Litter Products Market Share Insights

Manufacturers are focusing on expansion of their geographical range by engaging in mergers and acquisitions with other companies, carrying the objective of increasing their market share and cutting down their operational cost. For instance, in March 2018, Clorox announced its acquisition of a health and wellness company named Nutranest based in Florida. Competitors mainly compete based on product quality, technological innovations, price, volume, and capacity.

Manufacturers are also engaged in innovative solutions to attract consumer’s attention and are found to earning more from the new products. For instance, Church & Dwight claimed that 40% of their consumer product sales are from the innovative products. Another strategy that the manufacturers are using is of increasing the price of their products that are highly in demand.

For instance, in February 2019, Church & Dwight increased the prices of around one-third of its products, which included Arm & Hammer Cat Litter. Key players having a strong presence in the global market include Clorox, Nestle, Church & Dwight, Mars, Oil-Dri, Pettex, Drelseys, SINCHEM, Weihai Pearl Silica Gel, and Blue.

Report Scope

Segments Covered in the Report

This report forecasts revenue growth at the global, regional, and country levels, and provides an analysis on the latest industry trends in each of the sub-segments from 2015 to 2025. For the purpose of this study, Grand View Research has segmented the global cat litter products market report based on product type, raw material, distribution channel, and region:

• Product Type Outlook (Revenue, USD Billion, 2015 - 2025)

  • Clumping

  • Conventional

• Raw Material Outlook (Revenue, USD Billion, 2015 - 2025)

  • Clay

  • Silica

  • Others

• Distribution Channel Outlook (Revenue, USD Billion, 2015 - 2025)

  • Retail & Supermarket

  • Online Platform

• Regional Outlook (Revenue, USD Billion, 2015 - 2025)

  • North America

    • The U.S

    • Canada

  • Europe

    • The U.K.

    • France

  • Asia Pacific

    • India

  • Central & South America

    • Brazil

  • Middle East & Africa

    • South Africa