Today, a majority of US households have at least one pet cat or dog. In 2007 there were 67 million pet dogs and nearly 84 million pet cats*. These pets are more than just animals sharing our homes; they are members of the family. As the number of pet dogs and cats in the United States has increased, so too have the efforts of the Pet Food Institute (PFI) and the pet food industry.

The first commercially prepared pet food was a dog biscuit introduced in England about 1860. Since then, pet foods have expanded to include canned, dry and semi-moist foods to meet a wide variety of nutritional needs. Pet owners today have a tremendous choice of products to choose from but all pet foods have one thing in common: decades of effort and research have gone into each and every commercially produced pet food product in the United States to ensure it provides the proper nutrition for your pet dog or cat.

Since 1958, PFI has served as the voice of the US pet food industry, an industry that is committed to providing consumers and their pets with products that meet the complex nutritional requirements of our companion animals. Visit the What is PFI? section to learn more about PFI and its programs.

* Source: Euromonitor International