Pet Krewe’s Salty Cat Gains National Traction

May 22, 2026 |By Kelly Hite

Pet Krewe’s Salty Cat Gains National Traction. Photo provided by Pet Krewe. NEW ORLEANS – Pet Krewe, a New Orleans-based pet company, is gaining national traction as its flagship brand Salty Cat ranks among the fastest-growing in the U.S. cat food market. Founded and operated by Allison Ward, Pet Krewe sells two signature brands: Salty

Already an Insider? Log in

Get Instant Access for only $4/month*

Become an Insider and get immediate access to Insider only content.

- Sponsors -

*Billed $48/annually

LEARN MORE AND SIGN UP NOW

Digital Sponsors / Become a Sponsor

Pet Krewe’s Salty Cat Gains National Traction. Photo provided by Pet Krewe.

NEW ORLEANS – Pet Krewe, a New Orleans-based pet company, is gaining national traction as its flagship brand Salty Cat ranks among the fastest-growing in the U.S. cat food market.

Founded and operated by Allison Ward, Pet Krewe sells two signature brands: Salty Cat, its flagship line of premium wet cat food and natural cat treats, and Ella’s Best, its line of premium dog food.

Market Traction

Salty Cat is one of the fastest-growing brands in the U.S. cat food category. Nielsen and IRI data for the past 12 months show Salty Cat ranks first in incremental dollar change, fifth in dollar percentage change, and fifth in total distribution points gained—meaning the brand is contributing more to overall category growth than any other cat food brand while also expanding its physical retail footprint.

“Over 80 percent of all pet food on the shelves are owned by four companies,” said Ward, referring to the dominance of legacy brands. “Out of all the heritage brands, we are number one for the largest dollar change.”

Scaling Without Marketing

Pet Krewe grew Salty Cat into national mass retail distribution without spending on marketing, relying instead on product quality, palatability and disciplined retail execution.

“A couple of years ago we passed 8-figures in revenue without marketing,” said Ward. “In order to scale past nine figures we do need marketing and a larger team and operational support so we had to fundraise for that. We’re growing at around 200-300 percent year over year and we’re looking to grow another 300 percent next year.”

Allison Ward - Pet Krewe’s Salty Cat Gains National Traction

Pet Krewe was one of the first companies in Louisiana to receive Louisiana Growth Fund backing, with additional investment from the Gulf South Angels network. The Louisiana Growth Fund is the direct investment vehicle of the state’s SSBCI initiative, Louisiana Opportunity Capital, which focuses on supporting companies with potential to scale nationally.

Ward said she approached investors after already building a profitable business, initially launching the company as a pet costume company before expanding into pet food.

Shifting Consumer Trends

The broader market is also expanding. The U.S. cat food market reached $21.94 billion in 2025 and is projected to grow to $28.43 billion by 2030. Salty Cat has positioned themselves as modern nutrition for cats with attitude in the “inclusive premium” category.

“Cat food is having its moment right now,” said Ward. “Cat ownership is outpacing dog ownership. It’s one of the changes the pandemic brought. Cats are much easier to fit into the younger generation’s lifestyle.”

Millennials and Gen Z now account for about 57% of pet owners in the United States, with Gen Z making up around 20% of U.S. pet-owning households in 2024, a 43.5% increase from the year before. Ward said those consumers increasingly rely on social platforms over traditional search engines when discovering brands.

“Among Gen Z, 67% use Instagram to search and 62% of 18- to 24-year-olds use TikTok,” said Ward.

Product Positioning and Rebrand

Pet Krewe positions Salty Cat within what it describes as the “inclusive premium” segment—products made with limited, high-quality ingredients and no fillers or artificial additives, but priced for broader accessibility.

“Why is there nothing good that’s affordable?” said Ward. “It started as a point of frustration and grew from there.”

The company unveiled a rebrand of Salty Cat at Global Pet Expo in Orlando in March 2026, aimed at appealing to a new generation of pet owners. The updated packaging was designed for both in-store visibility and digital discovery, reflecting how consumers increasingly encounter brands across physical and online channels.

Products are available at major retailers including Walmart, Dollar Tree and Weis, among others nationwide.

Despite its growth, the company has faced challenges tied to global trade policy.

“We’ve changed our business model,” said Ward. “We were expanding in Canada and Mexico and we had a foothold in both countries, but after the tariffs were announced we lost millions of dollars in business and had our contracts canceled. So, for the foreseeable future, we are only operating in America.”