I-5 Publishing LLC in Irvine said it will replace its long-standing Dog Fancy and Cat Fancy magazines with print versions of its websites Dogster.com and Catster.com “to meet the needs of the contemporary marketplace.”
The new magazines will be published bimonthly, with Dogster’s inaugural issue hitting the newsstands on Feb. 24. Catster will follow on March 24.
Subscribers will “enjoy a seamless transition from the incumbent publications to Catster and Dogster,” the company said, adding it does not anticipate any changes in editorial headcount related to the title switch.
Dog Fancy and Cat Fancy are nearing their 45th and 50th anniversaries, respectively. The magazines’ readership was in decline, according to audited circulation figures I-5 Publishing provided to the Alliance for Audited Media in Arlington Heights, Ill.
Cat Fancy’s paid circulation was 194,185 in 2011; 185,566 in 2012; and 163,747 in 2013. Dog Fancy’s newsstand sales and print subscriptions added up to 197,401 in 2011; 186,501 in 2012; and 181,784 last year.
I-5 Publishing acquired the Dogster and Catster websites from San Francisco-based Say Media Inc. in July. The portals attract a combined 2.5 million visitors each month, according to the company.
It bought Dog Fancy and Cat Fancy, along with other magazine titles, from BowTie Inc. last year.
