Optimum vs Royal Canin:Which is more popular?
In September 2026, Royal Canin had more branded searches than Optimum among cat food brands in Australia. Royal Canin had about 8,100 branded searches, while Optimum had 1,900. Royal Canin made up 14.1% of all cat food brand searches we track, and Optimum accounted for 3.3%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about cat food brands, Royal Canin appeared in all five answers and Optimum in none.
Who do people search for more?
Royal Canin, about 4 searches for every 1 for Optimum
Who does AI mention more?
Royal Canin, mentioned in every answer we collected
Who does AI recommend more?
Royal Canin, the only one of the two named
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Top cat food brands in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews
In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Royal Canin appeared in all five answers. Optimum did not appear in any of the five answers.
Most recommended by AI
Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.
- Royal Canin1st
Hill's2nd
Fancy Feast3rd- Feline Natural4th
Black Hawk5th
Whiskas6th
Advance7th
ZIWI Peak8th
Felix9th- +2 more
Optimum–
Mentioned by AI
Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.
- Royal Canin5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
- Hill's4 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
- Fancy Feast3 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
- Feline Natural3 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
- ZIWI Peak2 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
- Black Hawk2 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
- Advance2 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
- Felix1 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
- Whiskas1 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
- Optimum0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
See every answer about cat food brands
5 answers
Asked ChatGPT
“What's the best cat food in Australia?”
Asked ChatGPT
“Which cat food is best for an indoor cat?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What's a good wet food for a fussy cat?”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“cat food”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“best cat food”
Not named in any answer:
Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in Australia on October 27, 2026.
Is Optimum or Royal Canin more popular in search?
This chart shows how often people search Google for Optimum and Royal Canin by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all 12 cat food brands we track, month by month, from searches in Australia.
Share of searches by month for Royal Canin, Optimum. The figures are in the table below the chart.
View monthly share of searches table
| Month | Felix | Whiskas | Royal Canin | Dine | Applaws | Fancy Feast | ZIWI Peak | Optimum | Hill's | Black Hawk | Advance | Feline Natural |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 2025 | 17.9% | 12.6% | 14.6% | 14.6% | 13.9% | 8% | 4.2% | 4.2% | 3.5% | 2.2% | 1.9% | 2.2% |
| Nov 2025 | 21.4% | 12.3% | 14.3% | 14.3% | 11.3% | 7.8% | 5.2% | 3.5% | 2.8% | 2.8% | 2.2% | 2.2% |
| Dec 2025 | 21.9% | 14.8% | 14.6% | 14.6% | 10.9% | 8% | 4.2% | 2.9% | 2.2% | 1.9% | 1.9% | 1.9% |
| Jan 2026 | 18.9% | 12.8% | 15.4% | 15.4% | 9.9% | 8.4% | 6.9% | 3% | 2.5% | 1.9% | 1.9% | 3% |
| Feb 2026 | 21.7% | 12.5% | 17.7% | 11.8% | 9.2% | 7.9% | 6.3% | 2.8% | 2.8% | 2.2% | 2.2% | 2.8% |
| Mar 2026 | 22.4% | 13% | 15% | 15% | 9.6% | 8.1% | 5.4% | 3% | 3% | 1.9% | 1.9% | 1.9% |
| Apr 2026 | 19.7% | 16.3% | 16.1% | 13.1% | 10.3% | 7.2% | 5.8% | 3.2% | 2.6% | 1.8% | 2% | 2% |
| May 2026 | 19% | 15.7% | 15.6% | 15.6% | 10% | 8.4% | 4.6% | 3.1% | 2.5% | 1.9% | 1.9% | 1.7% |
| Jun 2026 | 20.8% | 14.1% | 13.9% | 20.8% | 8.9% | 7.6% | 4.1% | 2.8% | 2.2% | 1.5% | 1.7% | 1.5% |
| Jul 2026 | 22.5% | 14.7% | 15% | 15% | 9.7% | 8.2% | 4.5% | 3% | 2.4% | 1.6% | 1.9% | 1.6% |
| Aug 2026 | 22.8% | 15.5% | 15.3% | 12.5% | 9.8% | 8.3% | 4.5% | 3.6% | 2.5% | 1.7% | 1.9% | 1.7% |
| Sep 2026 | 25.8% | 14.3% | 14.1% | 11.5% | 10.4% | 9.4% | 4.2% | 3.3% | 2.3% | 1.7% | 1.5% | 1.5% |
How has the Optimum and Royal Canin comparison changed over the last 12 months?
3 findings
- Royal Canin was ahead of Optimum in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Optimum’s share of searches among cat food brands in Australia moved from 4.2% to 3.3%, and its estimated monthly branded searches held steady at 1.9K.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Royal Canin’s share of searches among cat food brands in Australia moved from 14.6% to 14.1%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 6.6K to 8.1K.
How did search popularity change for Australia cat food brands in September 2026?
1 change
In September 2026, Royal Canin lost share of searches among cat food brands in Australia, from 15.3% to 14.1%.
How are branded searches counted?
2 search terms
Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Optimum’s and Royal Canin’s names. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brands is growing, holding steady, or fading.
Optimum
1 branded search term
- optimum cat food
Royal Canin
1 branded search term
- royal canin cat food
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