Nothing in the universe is more significant to Neha Bapna than Muffin, her puppy.
Every day she travels across India on a train, the four-year-old Shih Tzu is straight by her side in first class. He just consumes hypoallergenic meal, which is frequently twice the price of regular dog treats and food.
I have slept through my night trying to decide what food to eat for him. He is my child, and I don’t want him to possess any issues, says the 43-year-old Mumbai-based entrepreneur.
Used to be a pleasure reserved for the ultra-rich, pampering one’s dog. However, wealthy and middle-class cosmopolitan Indians like Ms. Bapna are now spending more on their “fur babies,” which has contributed to a increase in India’s pet care sector, which has almost doubled in price in recent years.
Ankur Bisen, top companion at Technopak financial consultancy, believes that the pandemic has a significant impact.
When individuals were staying at home, Cocavid created a need for companionship. So you could see fresh mother, first-time mother, persons who, by option, decided not to have children, and all of these individuals starting to adopt animals, he says.
The number of pets in Indian households has grown sharply from 26 million in 2019 to 32 million in 2024, according to a report by consulting firm Redseer.
These pets are extremely receiving the care and attention that are usually reserved for children as smaller family sizes, smaller family sizes, and changing social norms change family structures in industrial India.
Nikhil Bhushan and Lakshna Gulati, who both reside in Delhi, claim that raising their dogs gives them a simple knowledge of marriage.
The pair, who have no natural children, live in their home with two kidnapped animals, including a rabbit named Marmalade and a dog named Mowgli.
When we got married five years ago, we weren’t expecting children, but immediately after rescuing the animals, our house really became a apartment. There was something missing that is now full. They bring us happiness, and seeing them every morning brightens our life, according to Mr. Bhushan.
” We like to destroy them,” says Ms. Gulati. ” Whenever we see a toy they might like, we soon purchase it, even knowing that it will be quickly destroyed,” says one customer.
According to the Redseer report, Indians spent$ 3. 6 billion ( £ 2. 78 billion ) on goods and services for their pets in 2024, a significant increase from$ 1. 6 billion in 2019.
This explosive growth has been fueled by new trends like cats boarding, insurance, and specialized veterinary care.
According to Pankaj Poddar, CEO of Zigly, “pet treatment was only limited to basic services like immunization and clinical care twenty years ago.”
People now want the best for their dogs, he says, whether it’s clothes, accessories, or even specialized services. ” I have seen parents devote up to 10 % of their income to their animals, whether it’s taking them to special events or even ordinary inspections,” says one parent.
For example, Ms. Bapna spends between 25 000 and 40 000 rupees per month on Muffin, primarily on his special meal and travel.
Every few months, she takes her dog on a trip, whether it’s a morning trip to a local farm or a longer stay at a hotel, and she stays in pet-friendly lodging that is more expensive than regular hotels.
Ms. Bapna purchases first-class tickets when she visits her relatives every few months on the Jodhpur coach, which are more than twice the cost of regular cards.
The enormous costs are unfavorable to Ms Bapna. She says,” This is one area where I make no compromises when it comes to spending on Muffin.”
Income for pet care businesses like Zigly have increased as a result of this type of investing.
” We have grown between 7 % and 10 % month-on-month in the last eight to nine months,” says Mr. Poddar, whose company has grown to a monthly gross merchandise value of about 46 million rupees per month and is anticipated to reach 1 billion rupees by the next year.
More businesses that offer less expensive companies, like pet care ring The Pet Point, have also sprung up to serve the growing middle-class customers.
Value for money predominates over premiumization, according to The Pet Point’s co-founder Akshay Mahendru for most American animal kids these times. ” A client is more likely to pay 600 pounds for dog grooming services per year than it is to pay somewhere else,” says the statement.
According to Mr. Mahendru, sales for relatively less expensive dog goods like toys and treats have increased significantly as a result of the development of quick-shipping platforms like Zepto and Blinkit, which offer deliveries every 10-15 minutes.
Experts are optimistic that India’s pet care market has room to grow, given global trends. According to Bloomberg Intelligence’s Pet Economy Report 2023, the global pet care sector, currently valued at $320bn, could exceed $500bn by the end of this decade.
According to a report from Redseer, India’s pet care market is expected to double in the next three years and could reach$ 7 billion by 2028.
But difficulties nevertheless persist.
India’s economy is still plagued by uneven economic growth, slowing usage, and wage stagnation, which may thwart the sector’s expansion.
Most places in this place also lack pet-friendly public transportation options, including hotels and public transportation, which causes a lot of problems for animal parents.
When Mr. Bhushan and Ms. Gulati go with Mowgli, they bring transportable beds, disposable plates, and bowls” so we’re constantly prepared during our remains,” says Mr. Bhushan.
” We do encounter issues when we eat during our travels,” the article states. He continues,” Some sites don’t accept animals, which limits our choices.”
Ms. Bapna encounters the same difficulties when traveling with Muffin. But she is confident that things will change.
There were very few pet-friendly locations and routines when I first got him in 2021. However, she continued, there are now special events, accommodations, and shops in Mumbai that accept pets.
Muffin currently participates in” socialisation events,” where he can play sports with other dogs, and can also enjoy unique pet food at animal events.
Ms. Bapna smiles and says,” It gives me hope.”
Follow BBC News India on Instagram, YouTube, X and Facebook.