Grooming was occasional. Vet visits were reactive. The category was small, fragmented and largely price-driven. Today, pet care looks and feels completely different. According to growth and marketing leader Ronita Mitra, “The pet care market in India has firmly transitioned from niche to mainstream. It has doubled since 2020 and is estimated to grow from USD 3.6 billion in 2024 to USD 7 billion by 2028 reflecting a CAGR of 18 per cent (RedSeer Strategy Consultants).”
Behind those numbers lies a structural and emotional shift. Pets are no longer peripheral to the household. In many homes, they are family. In others, they are companions. What was once a niche retail category has expanded into a broader lifestyle economy anchored in health, care and continuity.
Prathap Suthan, Co-Founder and CCO, Bang In The Middle, has witnessed this evolution across decades of brand-building. “I worked on Pedigree around 1998 or 2000, when the market was still focused on basic nutrition or simply buying food for their pet,” he recalls. “It felt straightforward, almost clinical. There was hardly any attention paid to the emotional side of pet parenting.” The brief, then, was functional: build distribution, communicate nutrition and drive volume. However, by 2016-17, the industry witnessed a change. Recalling his experience of working with Critterati, a luxury dog boutique in Gurugram, Suthan says, “That experience was a revelation. It showed how pet care was evolving into something aspirational, a lifestyle choice for urban Indians who see their dogs as family members.” From a creative perspective, the category opened up because it tapped into what he describes as “a deep human need for connection.” The change was not incremental; it was cultural.
Much of the current acceleration is being driven by first-time, digitally native pet parents who approach the category with both emotion and information. Ayesha Huda, Chief Marketing Officer, Petcare, Mars International India Ltd, cites the Mars IPSOS Global Pet Parent Survey 2025: “Close to 70% of pet owners in India are first-time pet owners born and bred in the digital age, are aware of brands, and actively seek information on nutrition options.” These consumers are not limited to what is available at the nearest store. They research ingredient lists, compare formulations, watch reviews, read veterinary advice and evaluate health claims before making a purchase.
Another striking observation is the growing emotional reliance on pets. According to the Mars x Calm Global Survey, 88% of Indian pet parents believe their pets help them manage stress and improve emotional well-being. “It is this unique blend of emotional engagement and informed choices that is driving the growth of the premium market,” Huda explains. Love and logic are operating simultaneously.
Pallavi Anand, Head, Purina Petcare India, identifies a similar trend. “Nearly 80% of pet parents are first-time owners, with pets increasingly viewed as integral members of the family,” she says. “As a result, awareness and demand for healthy, nutritious, and high-quality pet food have risen sharply.” Importantly, this shift is not restricted to metros. Tier two and emerging cities are contributing meaningfully to growth, indicating that premiumisation is widening geographically as well as demographically.
If the earlier phase of the industry was about pushing products, the current phase is about building ecosystems. Saurabh Jain, CEO, Zigly, describes the transition as structural. “The demand shift over the past two years has been anchored in a health-and-wellness-led ecosystem. Pet parents today are increasingly viewing veterinary care, grooming, and products as interconnected pillars of overall well-being rather than standalone purchases,” Jain says. The focus, he explains, has shifted from isolated transactions to sustained relationships, with pet parents increasingly prioritising quality over transactional purchases. Pet parents now expect ‘quality, consistency, and medically-guided products, not just premium labels.’ At Zigly, veterinary consultations, organised grooming, diagnostics and nutrition operate within a single framework designed for continuity of care. When a pet parent visits for a consultation and leaves with tailored nutrition advice, preventive plans and scheduled grooming, the commercial value increases, but so does confidence. “We measure this not only through SKU-level profitability, but also by ecosystem contribution,” Jain explains. Repeat visits, cross-service engagement and lifetime value are more relevant metrics than one-time sales.
Premiumisation, therefore, is being defined less by visible luxury and more by measurable outcomes. Huda describes Mars Petcare’s direction as a shift ‘from basic feeding to preventive, science-led nutrition.’ With a large base of first-time pet parents seeking guidance, the company is expanding into life-stage and breed-specific nutrition, immune and digestive health support and improved feeding experiences for selective eaters. “Our focus is not proliferation, it is precision,” she says. “Every innovation must solve a real health or behavioural need, backed by science.” Anand echoes this approach. “Quality and nutrition are the strongest purchase drivers, with pet parents prioritizing health, safety, and palatability over price alone.” Price continues to matter for first trials, but once trust is established, consistency and outcomes influence retention. Emerging brands are also cautious about discount-led strategies.
Kartikeya Gupta, Co-founder, Smylo, says, “We believe sustainable pricing is critical. Competing purely on price leads to compromised quality, and in pet nutrition, trust and long-term health outcomes matter far more than short-term discounts or being the cheapest option in the category.”
While science underpins product development, storytelling shapes brand connection. Abhijat Bharadwaj, Chief Creative Officer, Dentsu Creative Isobar, brings a personal lens to the conversation. “I have three cats, so this is personal. Here’s the truth about pets that every brand needs to understand, they are perpetual babies who are completely, gloriously unhinged.” He adds, “The moment a cat knocks something off a table with zero remorse or a dog has an existential crisis over a plastic bag, we lose our minds over it. We humanise them constantly, and when they play along, we can’t get enough.” He links this to the rise of DINK (double income, no kids) households making ‘a very conscious, very emotional choice to be pet parents,’ resulting in consumers who ‘don’t just buy products, they invest in a lifestyle.’
Huda agrees that emotion is central but frames it strategically. “For us, emotion is the entry point to behaviour change,” she says, adding that feeding is “one of the most tangible expressions of love.” Within portfolios, positioning varies: Pedigree frames food as care and responsibility; WHISKAS addresses feeding challenges among selective cats; SHEBA positions indulgence as a sensory ritual without compromising nutrition. At Purina, campaigns focus on companionship and responsible pet parenting. Anand points to a recent FELIX campaign featuring Samantha Prabhu that celebrates the everyday joy of bonding with a pet. For Suthan, the most resonant narratives remain grounded in lived experience. “Owners respond to stories that reflect their own lives,” he says. “Stories of rescue and recovery, small victories over illness or anxiety, and everyday moments that make you laugh or pause.” The category’s strength, he argues, lies in making ordinary interactions meaningful.
Beyond food, adjacent services are expanding the total addressable market. Mitra notes acceleration across preventive healthcare, specialised nutrition, grooming and spa services, boarding and daycare and behavioural training. In some homes, pets function as emotional anchors; in others, they provide stability in increasingly fragmented urban lives. This emotional centrality translates into higher spending on convenience, preventive care and experience-led services. Grooming has evolved from maintenance to managed service. Behavioural training is emerging as both a specialist offering and a viable career path. Subscription models are gaining traction in predictable categories such as dry food, litter and preventive healthcare bundles. As the industry formalises, collaboration with veterinarians, nutritionists and trainers has become central. Experts across the industry emphasise the growing importance of vet advocacy, scientific education and partnerships with the broader pet care community. Veterinarians and trainers are increasingly becoming core components of integrated pet care models. In a category that directly impacts health and longevity, credibility operates as currency.
What was once a fragmented, price-led segment has evolved into a structured, ecosystem-driven industry embedded within India’s lifestyle economy. As Suthan observes, growth now extends to ‘grooming salons, pet spas, subscription health plans, accessories, pet friendly cafés, and a steady stream of social content.’ “This is not only about commerce,” he says. “It is about creating moments of joy, indulgence, and community for people who want the same richness of experience for their pets.” India’s pet care industry is expanding rapidly, but more importantly, it is maturing. From feeding bowls to family bonds, the category has shifted from a functional purchase to a long-term relationship shaped by emotion, data, preventive health and sustained engagement.
