Pet care is set to become India’s next FMCG battleground in 2026

Bengaluru: India’s pet care market is suddenly swelling with contenders, as consumer giants chase a new generation of indulgent pet parents and their ‘fur babies’. The scramble is set to make 2026 the most competitive year yet for a category once ruled almost entirely by Mars Inc., and now contested fiercely by global majors and homegrown fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) firms.

The shift became evident this year, with Godrej Consumer Products launching its Ninja dog food and Nestlé SA increasing investments in Drools, supported by visits from global executives at Purina. Homegrown startups also sought funding to accelerate their growth. Towards the end of 2025, Reliance Retail entered the pet food market with Waggies, set to scale aggressively across its stores starting early 2026, while Wipro Consumer Care plans to introduce HappyFur, intensifying competition, Mint reported earlier this year.

According to Euromonitor International, India’s pet care market grew from $690.5 million in 2023 to $786.6 million in 2024, and is projected to reach $884.4 million in 2025, reflecting the strong momentum. Its data also shows that India’s overall pet population grew by around 5% in 2024 and is expected to touch 39 million in 2025.

New entrants are getting backed. Data from research firm Tracxn shows funding for ‘pet tech’ and ‘pet care’ startups in India peaked between 2021 and 2023, with over $100 million invested over 66 rounds of funding. In 2025, companies in these categories collectively raised over $12 million over six transactions.

The combination of new entrants, increased brand investments, consolidation in direct-to-consumer channels, and a trend toward premium products, alongside a growing population of first-time pet owners, could drive market growth by an estimated 20%, taking the category to roughly ₹35,000 crore, according to experts.

For Nestlé SA, India is increasingly significant within global pet care. The company’s Purina division, known worldwide for premium dog and cat nutrition, now counts India among its fastest-growing markets. “India is a mega-market in the making," stated Hubert Wieser, chief executive of Nestlé Purina Asia, Oceania, and Africa. “The US is the largest, followed by China, and India will one day be among the top three. All the ingredients are in place."

This confidence is rooted in a structural shift in India's pet parent demographics, with 70–80% of the pet category comprising first-time pet parents—young urban consumers seeking better nutrition options. Rising disposable incomes, exposure to global nutrition standards, and the growing humanization of pets have pushed packaged food into the spotlight.

“Pets are no longer just companions; they are family, and that is changing how pet parents think about nutrition," said Satinder Singh, general manager, the France-headquartered Royal Canin India. “Pet parents today are far more health-aware and are actively seeking science-backed diets, specialized nutrition and solutions for specific health needs."

Industry dynamics

Since launching in India in 2017, Purina has been expanding its portfolio across mass-market, premium, and super-premium segments. Wieser explained that while mass-market SKUs help “grow the category," pet owners tend to migrate to premium lines as they understand nutritional needs. Yet, cultural habits present a challenge, with home-cooked meals still dominating, especially for dogs.

Drools has been the closest competitor to Mars in recent years, but the influx of new FMCG players is expected to reshape pricing dynamics. Industry experts, however, believe the impact will be measured. “Reliance will be an important player, but I don’t see it dominating any time soon," commented Santosh Sreedhar, partner at Avalon Consulting. He noted that Reliance’s scale would come through its retail chain, not the broader distribution network built over years by Mars or Drools. Sreedhar expects Waggies and HappyFur to cater to the mid-lower price band, while significant acceleration might occur in the mid-premium segment, balancing affordability and quality for large-scale adoption.

“We welcome more players entering the category because it signals the maturity and importance of pet nutrition in India," said Singh of Royal Canin. “As the market becomes more crowded, what will truly set brands apart isn’t just scale, but the scientific depth behind products and the trust built with veterinarians and pet professionals."

“India is a key long-term growth engine for us, which is why we are investing in local packaging, India-specific pack sizes and formulations," he said.

This year also marked a significant shift for early-stage pet care startups. Nestlé Purina’s Unleashed Accelerator increased its engagement with Indian founders, and the company made its first-ever investment in an Indian brand by acquiring a minority stake in Drools, valuing the Chhattisgarh-based firm at over $1 billion. Startups such as Supertails, Heads Up for Tails, and Goofy Tails also attracted venture funding, with over 15 investments made in the pet care space, according to DSG Consumer Partners.

However, Sreedhar anticipates consolidation ahead, noting that “D2C players face a steep climb in traditional retail. One or two will survive and eventually be merged as sub-brands into larger FMCG players."

Amid the influx of large FMCG players and mass-priced brands, niche players like The Honest Pet Co are betting on differentiation through clean nutrition, label transparency, global standards, expert-approved formulations and manufacturing control. Founded as a bootstrapped venture across the UK and India, the company positions itself as a complement to India’s dominant home-cooked feeding habits rather than a replacement.

“Home-cooked food for pets is great, but it often leaves a nutrition gap that leads to health issues and that’s the gap we are trying to complete using real, human-grade proven science-backed ingredients approved by our vets and Ph.D nutritionists across Europe, US, India" said Anshul Gupta, co-founder of The Honest Pet Co. Unlike most startups that outsource production, the company has invested in a 3,500 sq ft proprietary manufacturing facility in Gurugram to retain end-to-end quality control. “Better pet nutrition cannot happen unless you control the plant, sourcing process, formulation and the final product quality ," he said, adding that the brand focuses on supplements delivered in functional treat form as a preventative health play.

Gupta also flagged weak regulation as a challenge for discerning consumers. “India is relatively unregulated so brands can claim almost anything," he said, arguing that the next phase of growth will be driven by educated pet parents demanding transparency over price alone.

Beyond food, accessories—that comprise 30-40% of global pet products—are expected to see strong growth, with healthcare and supplements scaling steadily from a smaller base.

The rising cat parents

A notable trend in 2025 was the rise of cat-focused brands.

Post-pandemic, cats have risen to nearly 50% of India’s pet population in many urban areas . “Cats rely far more on commercial food than dogs," said Kartikeya Gupta, founder of Smylo, which crossed ₹2 crore in sales with preservative-free meat meals for cats. “Ninety percent of cats eat packaged food. That's a significantly larger opportunity."

Premium wet meals infused with superfoods like beetroot powder and turmeric are the fastest-growing subcategory, driven by hydration needs and convenience, with startups like Indie Cat and Avanti Furst emerging to cater to this demand.

Gen Z and millennial pet parents increasingly see cats not just as animals, but as emotional companions. A Mars Petcare study conducted in late 2024 found that 60% of young cat owners in India said their pets helped reduce stress and anxiety, underscoring the emotional role cats now play in daily life.

Adoption patterns are changing, too. Around 70% of kitten owners in India adopt before the three-month mark, mirroring global trends where 72% of kitten owners belong to younger demographics. Isolation during the pandemic accelerated this movement, but industry leaders believe it’s more than a passing phase.

Hari Shankar, founder of Pets of Paradise, remembers a time when cats were barely visible in the Indian pet landscape. “Five, six years back, the cat scene was quite dull. Dogs were overwhelmingly number one, with cats being less than 10-15% of the pets," he said, adding it has changed since Covid with the split 50-50 now.

He sees the trend as part of a broader global realignment. “This is actually mirroring what has happened globally in more developed economies, where cats are a predominant pet, not dogs."

Urban convenience is a key driver. “A cat you can leave for a Sunday, travel, make sure that somebody just comes, gives food, clears the litter, and that’s it," Shankar said. “It’s a very upward trend. There is no other way to look at it."