China Pet Treats Market Size & Share Analysis - Growth Trends and Forecast (2026 - 2031)

China Pet Treats Market Trends and Insights

Premiumization of Pet Snacks and Functional Treats

The China pet treats market is shifting from simple reward feeding to targeted nutrition, and premiumization is now the main revenue driver. The USDA FAS Pet Food Market Update 2026 reported that functional foods, interactive treats, and fresh offerings have become the primary growth drivers for both domestic and imported brands, particularly among younger Chinese consumers, highlighting the growing demand for specialized products in the China pet treats market. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) stated that high-end and functional pet food products were projected to grow at 6% to 8% in 2025^{[1]Source: United States Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service, “Pet Food Market Update 2025,” United States Department of Agriculture, fas.usda.gov}, with strong interest in freeze-dried training treats, cartilage treats, dental sticks, and air-dried meat formats. Oral care, immune support, joint and bone health, and skin and coat support are also gaining attention, so brands without a clear functional position are losing relevance in the China pet treats market 

Rising Cat Ownership and Cat Treat Penetration

Rising cat ownership is changing the demand base of the China pet treats market and widening the opportunity for species-specific product launches. The United States Department of Agriculture – Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA-FAS) reported that 69.7% of cat owners purchased freeze-dried formats in 2025, and demand increased for products linked to hairball control, hydration, and liver and kidney support. The State Council Information Office also noted that regulations in many cities restricted large-breed dogs and daytime dog-walking hours, which is one reason new urban pet ownership has shifted toward cats in the China pet treats market

E-Commerce and Social Commerce Led Discovery

Digital retail is the primary sales and discovery channel in the China pet treats market. The USDA FAS reported in 2026 that Douyin generated rapid growth through impulse buying. This creates a market structure in which agile domestic brands can move from content exposure to purchase much faster than those that depend on slower campaign cycles. It also means the China pet treats market rewards companies that can balance steady repeat demand on major platforms with quick customer acquisition through live commerce and short-video traffic.

Humanization of Pets and Treats as Rewarding Occasions

The China pet treats market is also being supported by the rising role of pets in daily household routines and emotional spending. Urban Chinese pet owners spent RMB 300.2 billion (USD 41.1 billion) on cats and dogs in 2024, a 7.5% year-on-year increase, according to China International Pet Show (CIPS). The USDA FAS noted that occasion-based treat formats linked to training, meal sharing, and seasonal gifting gained traction in 2025. As a result, the China pet treats market is seeing stronger demand for products that combine emotional reward with visible health value.

Tightening Import Registration and Compliance Burden

Compliance requirements are making it harder for imported treat brands to enter China and narrowing the economics of a full-import strategy. The USDA FAS reported that in September 2025, China notified the World Trade Organization (WTO) of draft National Hygienic Standards for Pet Feed (Food) and a draft Mandatory National Standard for Pet Food Labeling, both of which would create additional quality and labeling obligations for producers. The same USDA FAS report stated that imported packaged pet food fell to USD 474.1 million in 2025, down 5.2% from 2024, indicating that cost and compliance pressures were already affecting trade flows. China also raised the provisional MFN tariff on retail-packaged pet food from 4% to 10% from January 1, 2025, which lifted landed costs for foreign brands. In the China pet treats market, this pushes many international suppliers toward local manufacturing, co-packing, or a narrower premium product mix.

Ingredient Cost Volatility for Meat-Based Treats

Ingredient cost volatility is a direct risk for the China pet treats market because many of the fastest-growing products depend on meat-heavy inputs. Freeze-dried, jerky, cartilage, and air-dried products all rely on protein ingredients whose cost changes can quickly affect margins and end prices. This matters more in premium segments because buyers expect quality consistency even as raw material costs rise. It also matters in mass segments because lower-tier consumers are more sensitive to price increases and can shift back to cheaper everyday treat formats. The China pet treats market therefore, favors suppliers with stronger sourcing control, flexible recipes, and local production depth.

*Our forecasts treat driver/restraint impacts as directional, not additive. The impact forecasts reflect baseline growth, mix effects, and variable interactions.

Segment Analysis

By Sub Product: Freeze-Dried And Jerky Treats Anchor The Premium Tier

Freeze-dried and jerky treats accounted for 31% of the China pet treats market size in 2025, making them the largest subsegment. The same category was also the fastest-growing, showing that premium demand and scale are building in the same part of the category. According to China International Pet Show (CIPS 2026), 81.2% of dog owners purchased jerky and meat strip treats in 2025, while 56.6% purchased freeze-dried formats.

The USDA FAS identified freeze-dried snacks, cartilage treats, meat floss, dental sticks, and air-dried meat as the highest-growth dog treat formats in 2025. It also pointed to freeze-dried donuts, grass sticks, and interactive pocket treats as fast-growing cat formats, which shows that premium innovation is spreading across use cases and species. The China pet treats industry is therefore rewarding products that combine visible protein content with convenience and function. Soft and chewy treats continue to meet training needs because they are easy to portion and feed. Crunchy treats still hold stable everyday volume in the China pet treats market because they remain accessible to more price-sensitive households.

By Pets: Cat Segment Momentum Reshapes The Market’s Growth Equation

Dogs held 51.2% of the China pet treats market share in 2025, making them the largest pet segment. Cats, however, are the fastest-growing segment, with a projected CAGR of 7.4% over 2026-2031, indicating that future growth is shifting toward cats. According to USDA FAS China’s urban cat population reached 72.89 million in 2025, while the urban dog population reached 53.43 million. Other pets remain small, but the same source noted that aquatic pet ownership reached 17.3% of pet owners in 2025, up by 3.9 percentage points from 2024, suggesting a modest widening of the addressable base^{[2]Source: Pet Data, “2026 China Pet Industry White Paper (Consumer Report),” CIPS International Pet Show News, cipscom.com}.

The USDA FAS reported that domestic brands are increasingly investing in cat-specific functional ingredients and premium formulas to compete with long-established international brands in the premium cat segment^{[3]Source: United States Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service, “Pet Food Market Update 2025,” United States Department of Agriculture, fas.usda.gov}. The China pet treats industry is therefore likely to see stronger competition in cat snacks linked to digestion, hydration, and hairball control. Brands with clear veterinary positioning, ingredient transparency, and species-specific claims are better placed to benefit from this shift in the China pet treats market.

By Distribution Channel: Online Commerce Leads On Scale And Speed

The online channel accounted for 58.5% of the China pet treats market in 2025, making it the largest distribution format. That level of share shows that digital retail is already the main route for both repeat buying and new brand discovery. Specialty stores remain important in Tier 1 and Tier 2 cities because they support premium and veterinary-focused purchases. Supermarkets and hypermarkets continue to matter for everyday treat formats and national household visibility. Convenience stores still capture lower-value impulse purchases among younger urban buyers.

The USDA FAS reported that traditional large platforms such as JD.com and Tmall show stronger loyalty and higher repeat purchases, while Douyin is generating faster growth through impulse buying and content-led discovery. This creates a distribution structure where platform strategy is now part of product strategy in the China pet treats market. Brands that balance reliable repeat demand on established platforms with customer acquisition through live content are better positioned than single-channel competitors. Offline specialty retail also still matters because many buyers want guidance when selecting functional treats. The China pet treats market is therefore becoming more integrated across online and offline touchpoints rather than moving toward a simple one-channel model.

Geography Analysis

China’s geography is a single national market for reporting purposes, but demand patterns within the country are uneven across city tiers and production regions. Premium treat demand is concentrated in Tier 1 and leading Tier 2 cities, where disposable income is higher, and pet humanization is more advanced. Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, and several major Tier 2 cities remain the core demand centers for premium and functional products. The China pet treats market also benefits in these cities from better specialty retail access and stronger acceptance of higher-value nutrition. This leaves top-tier urban clusters as the main source of premium revenue, even as national reach widens.

The USDA FAS reported that China had 94,891 pet stores as of September 2025, down by a net 1,270 from the start of the year, while cities such as Shanghai, Chengdu, Hangzhou, and Beijing remained more resilient due to their service-oriented retail bases. This suggests that offline retail in the China pet treats market is consolidating around stronger stores in stronger cities rather than expanding evenly. The USDA FAS also stated that Shandong and Hebei accounted for more than 70% of domestic pet food output in 2024, underscoring the continued concentration of the manufacturing base. Henan’s pet food output rose 119% in 2025, which points to an emerging secondary production cluster in central China. This production pattern gives northern and central suppliers a clear cost and logistics role in the China pet treats market.

Tier 3 and lower cities represent the next wave of expansion, but this part of the China pet treats market is still more price sensitive. The USDA FAS reported that premium products in these markets are largely imported or higher-priced domestic brands selling above RMB 120 per kilogram (USD 16.7 per kilogram), while domestic brands dominate the mid-priced and low-priced bands. This means growth outside the largest cities will depend on price architecture as much as brand awareness. E-commerce is likely to remain the main route for expansion because it reduces physical distribution limits in smaller cities. The China pet treats market will therefore reward brands that can match regional price expectations without losing product credibility.