The Association Blog

New data from the CATalyst Council may challenge long-held assumptions about the typical cat owner

The CATalyst Council recently released early findings from their 2026 State of the Cat Report—and discovered that the face of cat ownership is changing.

According to the nonprofit dedicated to connecting veterinary medicine, the animal sheltering sector and industries such as the media and commercial companies, “Millennials have officially become the largest segment of cat owners, reshaping how, why, and when people bring cats into their lives. Even more interesting: 57.4% of these millennial cat owners are male.”

While you may find the data right on trend, the Council notes that the findings challenge “long-held assumptions about the ‘typical’ cat owner and signals new opportunities for how we engage, educate, and support today’s pet parents.”

Visit their website to find out more about the CATalyst Council, and read their recent press release for more early findings from the 2026 report.