Royal Canin vs Thrive:Which is more popular?
In September 2026, Royal Canin had more branded searches than Thrive among cat food brands in the United Kingdom. Royal Canin had about 8,100 branded searches, while Thrive had 2,900. Royal Canin made up 6.2% of all cat food brand searches we track, and Thrive accounted for 2.2%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about cat food brands, Royal Canin appeared in two of the five answers and Thrive in one. Royal Canin and Thrive were each mentioned first in one of the two answers.
Who do people search for more?
Royal Canin, about 3 searches for every 1 for Thrive
Who does AI mention more?
Royal Canin, mentioned in 2 of 5 answers, Thrive in 1
Who does AI recommend more?
Each is named first in 1 of 2 answers.
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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 was mentioned in two out of five: in two of the three ChatGPT answers, but not in either of the two Google AI Overviews. Thrive was mentioned in one out of five: in one of the three ChatGPT answers, but not in either of the two Google AI Overviews. Royal Canin and Thrive were each listed first in one of the two answers.
Most recommended by AI
Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.
Mentioned by AI
Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.
KatKin2 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers- Royal Canin2 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
Lily's Kitchen1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers- Thrive1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
Hill's1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
Untamed0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
Felix0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
Applaws0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
Sheba0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
Iams0 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 the UK?”
Asked ChatGPT
“Which wet cat food is healthiest?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What should I feed a fussy cat?”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“cat food”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“best cat food”
Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in United Kingdom on October 27, 2026.
Is Royal Canin or Thrive more popular in search?
This chart shows how often people search Google for Royal Canin and Thrive 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 United Kingdom.
Share of searches by month for Royal Canin, Thrive. The figures are in the table below the chart.
View monthly share of searches table
| Month | Untamed | KatKin | Felix | Applaws | Royal Canin | Sheba | Lily's Kitchen | Iams | Whiskas | James Wellbeloved | Thrive | Hill's |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 2025 | 32.8% | 21.9% | 8% | 7.3% | 8% | 6.6% | 2.9% | 2.9% | 2.3% | 2.3% | 2.9% | 1.9% |
| Nov 2025 | 33.5% | 22.4% | 8.2% | 7.4% | 6.7% | 6.7% | 3% | 3% | 2.4% | 2.4% | 2.4% | 2% |
| Dec 2025 | 40.5% | 18.2% | 6.6% | 7% | 6.6% | 6.6% | 2.9% | 2.4% | 2.4% | 2.9% | 2.4% | 1.6% |
| Jan 2026 | 34.5% | 23.1% | 6.9% | 7.3% | 6.9% | 6.9% | 3.1% | 3.1% | 2% | 2% | 2.5% | 1.7% |
| Feb 2026 | 37.9% | 20.7% | 6.2% | 6.9% | 6.2% | 7.6% | 2.8% | 2.8% | 2.2% | 2.8% | 2.2% | 1.8% |
| Mar 2026 | 36.7% | 20.1% | 7.3% | 6.7% | 7.3% | 7.3% | 2.7% | 2.7% | 2.1% | 2.7% | 2.7% | 1.8% |
| Apr 2026 | 38.2% | 20.9% | 6.3% | 6.9% | 6.3% | 7.6% | 2.8% | 2.2% | 2.2% | 2.2% | 2.8% | 1.5% |
| May 2026 | 33.8% | 22.6% | 6.8% | 8.8% | 6.8% | 6.8% | 3% | 2.4% | 2.4% | 2% | 3% | 1.6% |
| Jun 2026 | 37.1% | 20.3% | 7.4% | 6.7% | 7.4% | 6% | 3.3% | 2.7% | 2.7% | 2.2% | 2.7% | 1.5% |
| Jul 2026 | 35.2% | 23.6% | 7% | 6.3% | 7% | 5.7% | 3.1% | 2.5% | 2.5% | 2.1% | 3.1% | 1.7% |
| Aug 2026 | 37.5% | 20.5% | 7.5% | 8% | 6.1% | 6.1% | 3.3% | 2.7% | 2.2% | 1.8% | 2.7% | 1.4% |
| Sep 2026 | 37.8% | 20.7% | 7.6% | 6.9% | 6.2% | 6.2% | 3.4% | 2.7% | 2.7% | 2.2% | 2.2% | 1.5% |
Royal Canin sells other things too, so only its searches that name this product count here, like “royal canin cat food”.
How has the Royal Canin and Thrive comparison changed over the last 12 months?
3 findings
- Royal Canin was ahead of Thrive in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Royal Canin’s share of searches among cat food brands in the United Kingdom moved from 8% to 6.2%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 9.9K to 8.1K.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Thrive’s share of searches among cat food brands in the United Kingdom moved from 2.9% to 2.2%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 3.6K to 2.9K.
How did search popularity change for United Kingdom cat food brands in September 2026?
3 changes
In September 2026, Whiskas overtook Thrive to rank 9th among cat food brands in the United Kingdom, with 2.7% of the searches.
In September 2026, Thrive lost share of searches among cat food brands in the United Kingdom, from 2.7% to 2.2%.
Estimated monthly branded searches for Royal Canin in the United Kingdom fell 18.2% over 12 measured months, from 9.9K to 8.1K in September 2026.
How are branded searches counted?
2 search terms
Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Royal Canin’s and Thrive’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.
Royal Canin
1 branded search term
- royal canin cat food
Thrive
1 branded search term
- thrive cat food
Other head-to-heads among cat food brands
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