U.S. Vet Visits Face Long-Term Slump as New “Puppocalypse” Report Confirms Industry Fears

NORTH CANTON, Ohio — The pandemic-era pet adoption boom has officially flatlined, leaving the U.S. veterinary industry facing a stark new reality.

A landmark report released by the CATalyst Council—in partnership with Vetsource, Kynetec, and Dedekind Cut Labs—reveals that the surge in pet ownership during 2020 and 2021 was a temporary bubble rather than a permanent shift. The second edition of the white paper, titled “Puppocalypse, Kitten Craze, and the Expectations Reset,” warns that overall clinical veterinary visits will remain stagnant, projecting a growth rate of -2% to 0% through 2031.

This updated forecast incorporates fresh second-quarter 2026 data, confirming that the decline in new puppy visits is a long-term trend, not a temporary blip.

Two Species, Two Completely Different Stories

The study highlights a massive split in the demographics of America’s household pets, presenting a challenging outlook for dogs but a surprising opportunity for cats:

• The “Puppocalypse” (Canine Decline): New puppy clinical visits have plummeted for four consecutive years and currently sit roughly 38% below their pre-pandemic baseline. In the second quarter of 2026 alone, puppy visits dropped by 10.5% year-over-year. Because smaller groups of puppies are entering the system today, lower visit volumes are effectively locked in for years to come.

• The “Kitten Craze” (Feline Rush): In contrast, kitten visits have held steady at 8% to 10% above baseline over the same period. However, because cats historically receive less than a third of the veterinary visits that dogs do, this feline growth is not enough to offset the overall canine slump.

“The 2% to 3% visit growth that veterinary groups and manufacturers built their business plans around is no longer realistic,” the report authors write. “A plan that assumes flat-to-negative patient volume requires a completely different approach to staffing, pricing, and business growth”.

Why the Vet Visit Slump is Happening

The report points to a few major factors behind the shrinking numbers at the clinic checkout desk:

1. Price of Pet Care: Veterinary inflation has climbed significantly. According to government data, veterinary fees have risen 51.4% since December 2019, compared to 28.5% for general consumer items, pricing many families out of routine wellness checks.

2. Fewer Young Dogs: Primary household surveys screening over 60,000 U.S. homes confirmed a real deficit in young dogs entering American households, proving that families are simply adopting fewer puppies.

For local veterinary practices, the clearest path forward is to focus heavily on the growing cat market. With only a third of household cats visiting a vet each year, creating “cat-friendly” experiences represents the largest organic growth opportunity left in the industry.

This report coming at the end of just concluded Q2′ 2026 does not auger well for the expected earnings reports of LISTED Animal Health Companies – although at the time of publication of this piece, 5 Listed AH Companies that we actively track, namely Trupanion, Idexx, Zoetis, Elanco and Chewy were all trading in GREEN and were up by 2 to 4% for the day, completely ignoring any findings from this survey.