TL;DR
Get pet supplies delivered free — and shop member deals
- Fast, free delivery on millions of items
- Access to Prime Big Deal Days deals on October 6–7
- Prime Video, Amazon Music and more included
A survey commissioned by pet food company Nulo found that 91% of cat-owning respondents reported at least one behavior reflecting their cat’s influence on their lives. The online survey also recorded choices involving dating, furniture, living arrangements and spending, though the findings are self-reported and do not establish how cat owners generally behave outside the survey.
Nulo, a pet food company, has released results from a survey of U.S. adults reporting that cats influence owners’ relationships, homes, spending and daily routines. Among the 800 cat owners surveyed, 91% reported at least one behavior the company described as reflecting how much say a cat has in its owner’s life.
The online survey was conducted by Wired Research from August 17 to 21, 2026. It included 2,013 U.S. adults aged 18 and older, including 800 cat owners. Nulo said the overall margin of error was plus or minus 2.2 percentage points at a 95% confidence level; it cautioned that subgroup margins are higher. The release does not specify the margin for each subgroup.
Some findings concern ordinary interactions: 58% of cat owners said they had held a full conversation with their cat, and 32% said they had asked the cat’s opinion before making a decision. On living arrangements, 53% said they would keep an unattractive piece of furniture because their cat liked it; 32% would permanently give up their side of the bed, and 27% would give the cat its own bedroom.
The survey also asked about relationships and finances. A quarter of cat owners said they would stop dating someone their cat disliked, including 32% of female cat owners and 17% of male cat owners. Overall, 38% said they would spend more on their cat’s food than on their own, while 30% said they would spend their last $100 on their cat rather than themselves. These figures describe respondents’ answers, not verified purchases or decisions.
How Cat Preferences Shape Household Choices
The results offer a snapshot of how respondents describe the role of pets in domestic life, from furniture and sleeping arrangements to dating and household budgets. For readers, the most concrete takeaway is that many surveyed cat owners said they make accommodations for their animals, while a substantial share also described treating them as part of personal decisions.
The survey has a commercial connection: Nulo sells cat food, and the company linked the findings to its Prowess line of wet and dry products. The results may interest pet businesses and consumers, but they should be read as company-commissioned research rather than an independent assessment of cat ownership or spending across all households.
cat furniture with scratching posts
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
Survey Findings and Nulo’s Product Link
Nulo’s release connected the survey’s findings about care and household priorities to Prowess, its science-based cat food range. The company says the line includes wet and dry recipes developed by animal nutritionists and veterinarians, with real meat listed as the first ingredient. It lists options for kittens, adult cats, and cats with needs such as sensitive stomachs or weight management.
Nulo said Prowess products are sold online through Petco and PetSmart. The product information and nutrition descriptions in the release are company claims; the survey itself did not test the products or measure their effects on cats. The survey release also says Nulo was founded in 2009 and is headquartered in Austin, Texas.
The survey reported differences between age groups. Among Gen Z cat owners, 31% said they had left an event early to get home to their cat, compared with 15% among Millennials, Gen X and Boomers combined. Gen Z respondents were also more likely to say they asked their cat’s opinion (45% versus 28%), turned down the volume to avoid waking it (35% versus 20%), or checked on it by camera while away (31% versus 20%).
““These findings put numbers behind something cat parents already know: cats have a real say in how their households run.””
— Dr. Heather Mendoza, Nulo’s vice president of product development
Limits of the Self-Reported Results
The release does not provide the survey questionnaire, detailed sampling and weighting procedures, or the margin of error for each subgroup. Although Nulo calls the sample nationally representative, readers cannot use the release alone to assess how specific questions were worded or how the sample was balanced. The stated plus or minus 2.2-point margin applies to the overall survey, while the company says subgroup margins are higher.
Responses reflect what participants said they had done or would do; the survey does not independently verify those behaviors. It also cannot establish that age or gender caused the reported differences. The release does not identify an independent funder or provide a full research report beyond the findings and methodology summary it supplied.
Product Promotion, Not a New Survey
The release’s immediate next step is commercial: Nulo is directing consumers to its Prowess cat food range and says the products are available online at Petco and PetSmart. The company provided no date for a follow-up survey or additional research. Unless Nulo or Wired Research publishes further methodological details, the results remain a snapshot of respondents’ reported attitudes and habits collected over five days in August 2026.
Key Questions
Who conducted the survey, and when?
Wired Research conducted the online survey for Nulo from August 17 to 21, 2026, using an email invitation and an online questionnaire.
How many people took part?
The survey included 2,013 U.S. adults aged 18 and older, including 800 cat owners. The reported overall margin of error was plus or minus 2.2 percentage points at a 95% confidence level; subgroup margins were higher.
What did the survey find about cats and daily life?
Nulo reported that 91% of cat owners surveyed described at least one behavior reflecting their cat’s influence. Examples included holding conversations with a cat, changing furniture or sleeping arrangements, and taking a cat’s preferences into account when dating or making decisions.
Are the survey findings independent of Nulo?
Nulo commissioned and published the findings, and its release links them to its Prowess food line. The results are self-reported survey responses, not an independent product evaluation or verification of respondents’ behavior.
Source: rss
Fall Picks
fall essentials
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
