Sales are heating up this year ahead of Cat Day on Feb. 22 — a date that can sound like “nyan nyan nyan” (“meow, meow, meow”) — as the cat economy in Japan continues to grow.
Some convenience stores are offering sweets that feature cat paws, along with substantially more original items than last year. One pet shop is also offering grooming services especially for cats.
Dubbed “nekonomics,” or the “economics of cats,” professor Katsuhiro Miyamoto of Kansai University estimates products and services related to cats in 2025 will generate ¥414.50 billion ($2.76 billion) more than last year to reach ¥2.9 trillion — a rise that seems to beckon many businesses to the cat industry.
Employees of 7-Eleven who love cats helped develop 23 types of cat-related products this year, compared with just five types last year.
Especially of note is a tiramisu with a hand-piped, whipped cream paw print on its surface called “Paw tira-meow-su,” which is being sold at ¥299, and dango dumplings arranged to form a paw print on a kinako-flavored dessert called “Dango paw with ki-nya-ko mousse and brown sugar jelly,” which is available for ¥324.
Aeon Pet has introduced grooming services, which are typically geared toward dogs, for cats at one of its stores. | Aeon Pet / via jiji
FamilyMart has created a promotional event it calls “Operation: FamilyMeow-t!” Among the 21 types of products relating to cats the convenience store chain offers, one of note is a collaboration with Yamato Transport, whose logo is of a cat, called “A black cat and white cat biscuit sandwich.”
The goal is to see a 20% increase in sales compared with last year.
“Cats are a symbol of healing, and their influence on the economy will only grow,” said a FamilyMart official in charge of the promotional event.
Aeon Pet, a subsidiary of Aeon, has introduced grooming services specific to cats at one of its stores.
While mostly geared toward dogs, there have been calls for grooming services for cats as well. Many owners whose cats have been groomed at the store say there is less shedding and tangled fur, generating enough of a good reputation that Aeon Pet is planning to roll out the service nationwide.
According to the Japan Pet Food Association, people in Japan owned about 9.15 million cats as of 2024, outnumbering dogs since 2014.
Translated by The Japan Times
