What went wrong with cats?

I'm curious to know, what exactly went wrong with cats that led to their decline in popularity or performance, whichever the context may be? Did it have to do with changes in consumer behavior, technological advancements that rendered them obsolete, or perhaps a shift in societal attitudes towards cats? Was there a specific event or series of events that triggered this decline? And, what can we learn from this to prevent similar outcomes in other industries or areas of interest?