Oxyfresh lands PetSmart doors for cat dental additive as cat households reach 53 million

Cat ownership in the U.S. reached 53 million households in 2025, according to the American Pet Products Association, after growing 23% in 2024 and another 5% in 2025. Oxyfresh announced it will stock its cat dental water additive in the cat dental aisle of every PetSmart store across the U.S.

The household growth that opened the shelf slot

The growth in cat households created a larger buyer base for cat dental products. The company said up to 70% of cats over age three have some form of dental disease. Oxyfresh's water additive format sidesteps the brushing friction: the product goes in the water bowl daily, tasteless and odorless, no restraint required.

The additive format is designed to work with cats' existing behavior rather than requiring cooperation for brushing or chewing. The product competes on shelf against other cat dental formats.

What the APPA figure does not tell you

The 53 million household count measures ownership, not purchase frequency or category spend. A household that owns a cat is not automatically a household that buys dedicated dental products. The growth in households creates the addressable market, but whether those households convert to regular purchasers of water additives remains to be seen.

Oxyfresh said it has more than 40,000 customer reviews for its bestselling pet dental water additive. The review count signals an established base, but it does not tell a buyer what repeat rate to expect or how long a bottle lasts the average cat household.

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The margin and velocity math independents need to run

For a single-location store deciding whether to stock a water additive in cat dental, the PetSmart rollout settles one thing and leaves another unresolved. A major chain buyer believes the format has enough consumer pull to justify the slot, which lowers the risk that you are stocking a product type no one understands. What remains unresolved is whether the velocity justifies the shelf space when the product is a longer-interval purchase compared to treats or chews that customers buy more frequently.

If you already stock two or three cat dental treat brands and they are moving, adding a water additive gives the customer who will not brush a cat a different solution and potentially captures a sale you were losing to inaction. If your cat dental section is two pegs and a basket, the water additive competes directly with the treat for the slot, and you need to know your per-SKU weekly turn before you swap one for the other.

Our read: the household growth is real, the format is still being proven

The 53 million household figure is the strongest part of this story. It is a real number from a credible source, and it explains why PetSmart is willing to give Oxyfresh a full-chain test. The format makes sense on paper: cats do not cooperate with brushing, and a water additive removes the compliance barrier. What we do not know yet is whether cat owners who have not bought dental products in the past will start buying them now that the format is easier, or whether the easier format just shifts existing dental buyers from one product type to another.

For independents, the play is to watch PetSmart's reorder behavior over the next two quarters. If the chain keeps restocking and expands the SKU count, the format is working and you have a validated category expansion. If the product stays at one SKU and does not grow, PetSmart tested it and the velocity did not justify more space, which tells you the format is not pulling new buyers into the category, just redistributing the ones who were already shopping it.

A buyer should ask the rep what in-store support comes with the placement, shelf talkers, sampling, or co-op, because a water additive with no explanation sits.

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