9Lives vs Royal Canin:Which is more popular?
In September 2026, Royal Canin had more branded searches than 9Lives among cat food brands in the United States. Royal Canin had about 22,200 branded searches, while 9Lives had 2,900. Royal Canin made up 7.8% of all cat food brand searches we track, and 9Lives accounted for 1%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about cat food brands, Royal Canin appeared in four of the five answers and 9Lives in none.
Who do people search for more?
Royal Canin, about 8 searches for every 1 for 9Lives
Who does AI mention more?
Royal Canin, mentioned in 4 of 5 answers, 9Lives in 0
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 was mentioned in four out of five: in two of the three ChatGPT answers and in both Google AI Overviews. 9Lives 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.
Hill's1st
Purina Pro Plan2nd- Royal Canin3rd
Smalls4th- Fancy Feast4th
- Purina ONE6th
Weruva7th
Blue Buffalo8th
Iams9th- +5 more
9Lives–
Mentioned by AI
Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.
- Royal Canin4 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
- Purina Pro Plan4 of 5Named in 2 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
- Purina ONE2 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
- Smalls1 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
- Fancy Feast1 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
- Iams1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
Meow Mix1 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers- Blue Buffalo1 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
- 9Lives0 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?”
Asked ChatGPT
“Which cat food do vets recommend?”
Asked ChatGPT
“Is fresh cat food better than kibble?”
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 States on October 27, 2026.
Is 9Lives or Royal Canin more popular in search?
This chart shows how often people search Google for 9Lives and Royal Canin by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all 15 cat food brands we track, month by month, from searches in United States.
Share of searches by month for Royal Canin, 9Lives. The figures are in the table below the chart.
View monthly share of searches table
| Month | Smalls | Friskies | Fancy Feast | Iams | Meow Mix | Purina ONE | Royal Canin | Sheba | Blue Buffalo | Purina Pro Plan | Tiki Cat | Hill's | Wellness | Weruva | 9Lives |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 2025 | 21.4% | 7.9% | 6.4% | 6.4% | 6.4% | 6.4% | 11.7% | 5.2% | 6.4% | 11.7% | 3.5% | 0.84% | 2.3% | 2.3% | 0.84% |
| Nov 2025 | 18.3% | 6.7% | 5.5% | 6.7% | 6.7% | 6.7% | 12.2% | 5.5% | 6.7% | 15% | 3.7% | 0.88% | 2.4% | 2.4% | 0.73% |
| Dec 2025 | 19% | 7% | 5.7% | 7% | 5.7% | 7% | 12.7% | 5.7% | 7% | 12.7% | 3.8% | 0.91% | 2.8% | 2.5% | 0.75% |
| Jan 2026 | 19.7% | 7.2% | 5.9% | 5.9% | 5.9% | 5.9% | 10.8% | 5.9% | 5.9% | 16.1% | 3.9% | 0.96% | 2.6% | 2.6% | 0.77% |
| Feb 2026 | 19.9% | 7.3% | 6% | 7.3% | 6% | 6% | 10.9% | 6% | 7.3% | 13.3% | 3.3% | 1.2% | 2.4% | 2.2% | 0.96% |
| Mar 2026 | 21.8% | 8% | 5.3% | 6.6% | 5.3% | 6.6% | 8% | 5.3% | 6.6% | 14.6% | 3.6% | 2.4% | 3.1% | 1.9% | 0.86% |
| Apr 2026 | 23.1% | 8.5% | 5.7% | 5.7% | 5.7% | 5.7% | 6.9% | 5.7% | 5.7% | 15.5% | 3.8% | 2.5% | 2.1% | 2.5% | 1.1% |
| May 2026 | 22.2% | 8.1% | 5.4% | 5.4% | 5.4% | 6.7% | 8.1% | 6.7% | 5.4% | 14.9% | 3.6% | 2.4% | 2% | 2.4% | 1.1% |
| Jun 2026 | 16.9% | 7.6% | 6.2% | 7.6% | 6.2% | 9.2% | 9.2% | 7.6% | 6.2% | 11.3% | 4.1% | 2.8% | 2.3% | 2.2% | 0.82% |
| Jul 2026 | 16.3% | 7.3% | 6% | 7.3% | 6% | 8.9% | 10.9% | 7.3% | 6% | 10.9% | 4% | 3.3% | 2.4% | 2.7% | 0.79% |
| Aug 2026 | 16.1% | 8.8% | 7.2% | 7.2% | 7.2% | 8.8% | 7.2% | 7.2% | 5.9% | 10.7% | 4.8% | 3.2% | 2.4% | 2.6% | 0.78% |
| Sep 2026 | 17.3% | 9.5% | 7.8% | 7.8% | 7.8% | 7.8% | 7.8% | 7.8% | 6.3% | 6.3% | 5.2% | 2.8% | 2.6% | 2.3% | 1% |
How has the 9Lives and Royal Canin comparison changed over the last 12 months?
3 findings
- Royal Canin was ahead of 9Lives in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, 9Lives’ share of searches among cat food brands in the United States moved from 0.84% to 1%, and its estimated monthly branded searches held steady at 2.9K.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Royal Canin’s share of searches among cat food brands in the United States moved from 11.7% to 7.8%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 40.5K to 22.2K.
How did search popularity change for United States cat food brands in September 2026?
1 change
In September 2026, Royal Canin overtook Purina Pro Plan to rank 7th among cat food brands in the United States, with 7.8% of the searches.
How are branded searches counted?
2 search terms
Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using 9Lives’ 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.
9Lives
1 branded search term
- 9lives
Royal Canin
1 branded search term
- royal canin cat food
Other head-to-heads among cat food brands
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