Clay has dominated the cat litter market for several decades, though silica has been catching up in recent years. However, increasing sensitivity of consumers towards environmental concerns and health of their domestic cats has also led to a surge in the natural cat litter products market.
The natural cat litter products market has seen a consistent growth trajectory in the past decade and is expected to continue growing despite the Covid-19 pandemic and resulting economic crisis as the major drivers will continue to be favourable. However, manufacturers and suppliers will also need to be wary of the increasing challenges.
Natural cat litter mainly consists of plant-based products. The natural cat litter products market occupies a small but significant segment of the cat litter market; it is also one of the fastest growing segments. Furthermore, most research by cat litter manufacturers is being conducted into silica and plant-based products.
The most popular types of natural cat litter include wheat cat litter, walnut cat litter, pine cat litter, corn cat litter, bamboo cat litter, cassava cat litter and recycled paper cat litter. Other natural substances like green tea and floral extracts too may be used as additives to natural cat litter to combat odour and give natural fragrance.
Growing sensitivity towards environmental hazards posed by traditional types of cat litter, especially clay, is a leading driver for the natural cat litter products market. While millennials have been the leading demographic for the natural cat litter products market, this awareness has also been catching-up with older generations.
Consumers are also increasingly feeling the need to reduce the chemical component in litter boxes as domestic cats spend a substantial amount of time in litter boxes and inadvertently inhale or ingest the litter. The natural cat litter products market hence also gains traction from increasing awareness about pet-health.
A major constraint to the natural cat litter products market comes in the form of cost, since clay litter is cheaper. However, the prices of natural cat litter have been coming down over the years and this has made pricing more competitive; this trend is likely to continue.
Another constraint is the comparatively poor clumping properties offered by natural cat litter. This has a significant bearing of consumer convenience as more time and effort is required to clean litter boxes. Research and innovation into clumping properties is hence likely to be a focus area for natural cat litter manufacturers.
Visibility is also an area of concern for the natural cat litter products market since traditional cat litter remains more popular. This is also a reason why online sales of natural cat litter have not taken off to the same degree as conventional cat litter.
The Covid-19 pandemic and resulting economic crisis may impact overall cat ownership due to health and hygiene concerns. These concerns are likely to figure high even among consolidated cat owners. An imperative for natural cat litter manufacturers will thus be to improve the quality of their products so that they can offer the same hygiene and clumping benefits as clay and silica.
North America has been dominating the natural cat litter products market, followed by Europe. While the Asia-Pacific region has seen a substantial rise in the overall cat products market, growth of the natural cat litter products market has not been comparable;
However, the region offers huge opportunities to manufacturers on account of sheer potential size. The rest of the world shares a comparatively smaller market share but presents opportunities owing to growing awareness.
Despite being a relatively new market, the natural cat litter products market is a highly fragmented market with several big and small players across various parts of the globe. The market’s competitive landscape also presents several complexities such as dependency on company base and associated companies. Major players in the market include
Global Natural Cat Litter Products market: Key Players (this is an indicative list – full list of key players available upon request)
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Natural Cat Litter Products Market
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