Sushi, his three-year old Persian cat, is the center of Aakash Mehra’s life.
Sushi is always first in line when planning a trip or creating a shopping list.
No detail is missed, from grain-free kibble in the winter to cooling mats for summer.
The 35-year old says, “She’s my family.” “I read labels for her more carefully than I do myself.”
Mehra tells that he spends almost Rs10,000 a month on Sushi’s food, toys, and grooming.
In India’s cities, this kind of spending has become commonplace. Pets are no longer regarded as animals, but rather as companions and even as children.
In recent years, the emotional bond between humans and their pets has grown stronger. This has led to a rapid change in the pet care industry in Canada.
The Indian market is shifting towards what experts refer to as “pet parenting.” This includes veterinary teleconsultations, personalised diets, behavioural training for pets and pet boarding.
Aspirations and affluence fuel the industry’s growth
According to him the industry is moving from basic nutrition and neglect to premiumization and wellbeing, due to rising disposable incomes and urbanisation.
The Indian pet care industry is expected to reach $1.5-$2 billion in revenue by 2027 with a growth rate of 15-18%.
This trend is led by younger consumers, especially millennials. They are more likely to spend on high-quality nutrition, wellness services and curated experiences.
Anuj, a 32 year old real estate developer in New Delhi, spends anywhere between Rs 15,000 and Rs 20,000 per month for the food of his 8-year-old Cocker Spaniel, Robin.
Even a routine veterinary examination can cost between Rs2,000 and Rs5,000. This includes any tests that are recommended.
Rajoria told ICD that the industry was booming.
The expansion of ecommerce and organised retail have played an important role in making pet products and service more accessible throughout India’s semi-urban and urban regions.
Source: Redseer Strategists
The pandemic has a lasting impact
The COVID-19 epidemic in India was a turning-point for the adoption of pets.
Redseer’s report shows that pet ownership increased significantly during the lockdown period, especially with families adopting or rescuing abandoned animals.
The presence of a cat or dog brought comfort and companionship to people as they adjusted to the new lifestyles and more time spent indoors.
This emotional dependence translated into economic demand.
In 2019, the Indian pet care market was worth $1.6 billion. By 2024 it would have more than doubled, reaching $3.6 billion.
Pet owners started investing in many services, including veterinary care, grooming and toys. They also invested in insurance, mental health support, specialised foods, and specialized food.
Behavioural health becomes mainstream
The expansion of behavioral services has been a significant change.
Mahima is a 33 year old working professional living in New Delhi. She shares her one-bedroom apartment with Milo, an indie dog that was rescued five years ago.
When I first got Milo the training was all commands – sit, stay, heel. She tells ICD that it was all about control.
“But I have realised that like us, our pets also have feelings and anxieties which need to be understood.”
She works with a dog behaviourist today to help Milo overcome his anxiety and fear triggers.
It’s not about changing behaviours, but about understanding the “why” behind them. This approach helped us both feel more connected.
The shift from obedience to emotional understanding reflects broader societal shifts towards empathy, mental wellbeing, and personalised service–values which younger consumers are increasingly expecting across all services, including for pets.
Source : Redseer Strategy Consultants
Pet food is the most popular pet product, but health and wellness are driving innovation.
The pet food market continues to be the largest in terms of size.
The demand for organic, premium and breed-specific foods is particularly high.
The rise of healthcare is also driven by pet owners who are concerned about their pets’ health.
Shah states that the healthcare sector, including veterinary clinics and preventive care as well as insurance, is likely to grow fastest, because pet owners are increasingly focusing on wellness and longevity.
He adds that “value-added services” such as pet daycare, grooming and boarding are expanding quickly, particularly in large cities.
SAVAVET is the animal health division within SAVA Healthcare. It is one of the companies that benefits from the increased focus on pet wellbeing.
Pet parents are looking for more than just treatment of illness. They’re also looking to preventive vaccinations, grooming products, and nutritional supplements. It is clear that the market has matured, and wellness-based treatment is taking priority over reactive treatments,” Karthikrajan, Chief Operation Officer at SAVAVET tells ICD.
SAVAVET offers a wide range of products in the therapeutic, nutritional, and preventive categories.
Over the last three years, the company has consistently grown by double digits.
The rise of boutique and homegrown businesses
Shah identifies three trends that are reshaping this industry.
First, the rise of Indian brands like Heads Up For Tails and Supertails is challenging multinational players by offering localised solutions–heat-resistant apparel, grain-free diets tailored to Indian breeds, and monsoon-friendly accessories.
Second is the explosion of micro-entrepreneurship.
He says that new business models, such as mobile grooming and boutique pet bakeries, are created to meet the hyper-local demands.
Mahima, for example, pays a minimum of Rs 1500 and a maximum Rs 3,000 per canine behaviourist session.
Premiumization is the third trend.
The consumer is moving away from basic food and accessories and investing in grooming products, preventive health care, and high-end nutritional.
Venture capitalists have shown a keen interest in this trend.
Redseer reports that companies in this space have seen revenue increases of 2x-10x between FY22-FY23.
Over the last five years, nearly $180 million was invested in India’s Pet Care sector. This reflects investor confidence in this sector’s scalability as well as its consumer stickiness.
Platforms of the future lead innovation
Tech-driven innovations are helping startups reshape the pet care industry.
Supertails, a Bengaluru-based company, has performed over 500,000 teleconsultations. It also opened three offline clinics for veterinary care in the city.
In Bengaluru, plans are in place to open 10-12 new clinics this year.
Vineet Khanna, co-founder and CEO of Supertails (a pet care platform), said in a Fortune article that “Healthcare is expected to grow faster than the rest of the industry.”
He added that rising awareness and demand for quality care are pushing companies to innovate across channels–telemedicine, diagnostics, and in-person care.
There is significant room for growth, particularly in Tier 2 or 3 cities, where the veterinary infrastructure remains limited.
Untapped potential and challenges
The industry is facing real challenges despite its positive momentum.
Shah believes that the complexity of supply chains, particularly for imported and premium products, is a major challenge.
“Consumer Education remains uneven with significant gaps regarding nutrition. He says that vaccination and preventive health care are also major challenges in cities of tier 2 or 3.
Rajan, from SAVAVET, agrees.
“While metros have a growing number of pet parents who are well-informed, semi-urban areas and smaller towns are still at the beginning stages of evolution in pet care. He says that there is a lack of knowledge about timely vaccinations and parasite control.
Shah believes that the next wave of growth is likely to come from three areas which are still underexplored.
Second, the development of mobile vet units in rural areas and apps in vernacular languages. Pet insurance is still in its infancy.
Third, we have functional and therapeutic pet food, personalised nutritional services, and technology enabled services such as smart collars, health monitoring apps, and personalised nutrition.
He says that these three “whitespaces” could generate over $500 million dollars in new revenue.
The ICD published the first article on India’s pet care market: How pet parents are driving it to a billion-dollar market.
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