Category Catalysts: Cat Toys - Meowijuana

For nearly a decade, Meowijuana has set the scene for reviving the underserved cat products space. Since its founding in 2016, Meowijuana has established itself as an award-winning trendsetter that has effortlessly combined taking felines’ inherent characteristics seriously with offering solutions that are facetious and attract pet owners who appreciate the company’s light-hearted approach. Few companies can take their responsibility of offering safe products that address felines’ need to play or relax to heart while presenting their products in a way that reminds consumers that they can responsibly care for their pets with room to be good natured.

Company leaders observed macro trends that have materialized throughout the year revolving around the rising number of cat-owning households and barriers to purchase. “We see two broader macro trends emerging in 2025,” Scott Ragan, Managing Partner and CEO recently said. “First, cat companion pet ownership continues to grow, especially among younger pet parents. This growth is attracting a wider range of companies into the cat space, driving both innovation and competition for pet parent spending. The second macro trend involves geopolitical factors—political policies, tariffs and stalled policies—that are putting downward pressure on pet parents’ budgets and, consequently, on retailers.”

Meowijuana attributes its achievements, most notably through recognition from industry peers in the form of major awards at industry tradeshows and cultivating partnerships with retailers, to ongoing innovation and collaboration. These efforts have paid off—Meowijuana products are found in 6,000 pet-focused retail locations throughout North America. “Meowijuana continues to be recognized nationally, as we were just awarded the 2025 Pet Innovation Award and earned a spot on the INC 5,000 list of fastest-growing privately held companies for a unique sixth consecutive year,” Ragan said. “Growth is driven by innovation and new products that connect with and resonate among pet parents. This is complemented by a strong focus on collaboration and marketing with our sales partners.”

Within the last decade, company leaders have experienced the cat toys’ evolution to becoming a space where competition is becoming increasingly steeper. Cat toys is also moving towards a more affordable category offering a broader selection of value options, Ragan observed. “While addressing all customer needs is important, we believe most pet parents stay focused on brands that are creative, innovative, safe and of high quality that they can trust,” he added. 

On the topic of price points and households feeling squeezed, “We see a wider range of toy and treat options from brick-and-mortar and digital retailers to address short-term economic concerns—from premium quality, innovative brands to more value-oriented, non-branded dump bins,” Ragan said. 

Meowijuana and the pet owners that appreciate their fun approach take caring for cats seriously and equally important remember pet ownership is fun.