High Spirits

Animal Magnetismoes it surprise you to learn cats outnumber dogs in the nation's pet population? Maybe not. But even if you had an inkling that felines had clawed their way to the top of the pet parade, you probably wouldn't guess that devoted pet owners shell out more than $7 billion a year to feed their furry friends. And we're not talking about the animal kingdom's equivalent of meatloaf, either: According to research by Bates USA in New York City, the trend is toward premium and superpremium pet foods. Now, that's more than enough reason for tail-wagging, wouldn't you say?

This article was originally published in the July 1996 print edition of Entrepreneur with the headline: High Spirits.