How many cats are there in Italy? More cats than dogs and a growing market

Italy is one of Europe's great cat-loving countries. A stroll around Rome, among ruins and feline colonies, is enough to give you a sense of it. But how many cats really live in Italian homes? We go through the two key sources and what they reveal about Italians' relationship with their cats.

Between 11 and 11.9 million cats

The figure varies slightly depending on the source:

• The Rapporto Assalco-Zoomark 2026, the annual report from the Italian association of pet food and pet care companies (Assalco) and the Zoomark trade fair, estimates 11 million cats and 9.1 million dogs in 2025.
• The European FEDIAF "Facts & Figures 2026" report, with data from 2024, puts Italy at 11.9 million cats and 9 million dogs.

Whatever the exact figure, the conclusion is the same: Italy has more cats than dogs, and the country ranks fourth in Europe for the number of cats according to FEDIAF, behind only France, Germany and the United Kingdom.

A country with a huge number of pets

According to the Rapporto Assalco-Zoomark 2026, Italy has around 53.6 million pets when all species are added together. The most numerous aren't cats or dogs, but fish (25.3 million). Next come cats (11 million), dogs (9.1 million), birds (4.1 million), reptiles and amphibians (2.7 million) and small mammals (1.4 million).

To put that in perspective, Italy has around 59 million inhabitants: there are almost as many pets as people.

Cats rule the shopping basket too

The Assalco-Zoomark report devotes a large section to the market. In 2025:

• Spending on pet food and pet care reached €5.3 billion, up 2.5% on 2024.
• Food for dogs and cats accounted for €4.2 billion, 79% of the total.
• Cat food products made up 56% of the value, at €2,353 million, with growth of 4.3%.
• Within the cat segment, wet food (+4.7%) and treats and snacks (+7.2%) grew particularly strongly.
• Dog food totalled €1,848 million (44%), with more modest growth of 0.7%.

In other words, in Italy more is spent on cat food than on dog food, which isn't the case in every country.

Why there are so many cats in Italy

• Historic cities and flats: in city centres, with old buildings and homes without gardens, a cat fits in better than a dog.
• A long tradition of living together: cat colonies are part of the landscape in many Italian cities, and in Rome some are almost a tourist attraction.
• Ever smaller households: across Europe, one- and two-person households are on the rise, and for these the cat is often the companion of choice.

The trend: wet food and treats

The growth in wet food and treats is a trend also seen across the rest of Europe. According to FEDIAF, by volume around 61% of the cat food sold in Europe is wet. For your cat, wet food has one clear advantage: it provides plenty of water, which matters for an animal that naturally drinks little.

With treats, though, moderation is key: they shouldn't make up more than a small share of daily calories. Talk to your vet if your cat tends to put on weight.

What the Italian data tells us

Italy confirms a European trend: the cat has become the favourite pet in many countries, and families are investing more and more in their food and wellbeing. Compared with Spain, where according to FEDIAF around 4.9 million cats live, Italy has more than twice as many, with a population that isn't much larger.

In short: between 11 and 11.9 million cats live in Italy, more than dogs, and cat food is worth more than €2.3 billion a year.

On the Katlune blog you'll find more data about cats in Europe, and in Club Katlune we share the most interesting bits every week.

Sources: Assalco-Zoomark, Rapporto Assalco-Zoomark 2026 (2025 data), as reported by QuiFinanza and the trade press; FEDIAF, "Facts & Figures 2026" (2024 data).