For Neha Bapna, nothing in the world is more important than his dog muffin.
Whenever she takes a train to travel through India, Shih Tzu, four years old, is by her side – in first class. It only eats hypoallergenic foods, which is often double the price of normal foods and treats.
“I spent white nights trying to understand what food suits him. He is my child, I don’t want him to have problems,” said the 43 -year -old entrepreneur.
Pamper her pet was an exclusive luxury to ultra-rich. But now, rich and middle -class urban Indians like Ms. Bapna are doing more madness on their “fur babies”, fueling a boom from the pet care industry in India that has almost doubled in recent years.
The pandemic played a huge role, according to Ankur Bisen, main partner at Technopak Retail Consultancy.
“Covid created a need for a company when people stayed at home. So you could see young mothers, people in their first jobs, people who, by choice, decided not to have children … All these people started to opt for property,” he said.
The number of domestic animals in Indian households increased from 26 million in 2019 to 32 million in 2024, according to a report by the Redseer consulting firm.
And like late weddings, small family sizes and the evolution of social standards reshape family structures in urban India, these pets are increasingly receiving care and attention generally reserved for children.
Nikhil Bhushan and Lakshna Gulati, who live in the capital, Delhi, say that raising their pets allows them to live without complexity.
The couple, who have no organic children, share their house with two pets rescued: a dog named Mowgli and a cat named Marmalade.
“When we got married five years ago, we were not ready to have children, but shortly after saving pets, our house has really become a house – it was missing something that is now complete. They bring us joy and see them every day brightening our lives,” said Bhushan.
“We like to spoil them,” adds Ms. Gulati. “Whenever we see (a toy) that they might like, we buy it immediately, even knowing that it will be destroyed in no time.”
In 2024, the Indians spent $ 3.6 billion (2.78 billion pounds sterling) in products and services for their pets, a substantial increase of $ 1.6 billion in 2019, according to the Redseer report.
This rapid growth was fed by emerging trends such as pet board, insurance and specialized veterinary care.
“Twenty years ago, pet care was limited to basic services such as vaccination and veterinary care,” explains Pankaj Poddar, managing director of the Zigly pet care company.
“Now people want the best for their pets – whether clothing, accessories or even specialized services,” he said. “I saw parents spend up to 10% of their income from their pets – whether to take them to special parties or even regular checks.”
Ms. Bapna, for example, spends between 25,000 rupees ($ 290; £ 220) and 40,000 rupees on muffins in a month, mainly on her trip and special diet.
She takes her dog on a journey every few weeks, whether it is a day trip to a nearby farm or a longer stay in a complex, and stays in accommodation suitable for pets that are more expensive than ordinary hotels.
When she takes the train to Jodhpur every few months to visit her parents, Ms. Bapna buys first class tickets – which are more than double the price of general tickets – because dogs and cats in India are only authorized in first class coaches.
Ms. Bapna does not care about the huge invoices. When it comes to spending in muffin, she says: “It is an area where I make no concessions.”
This type of expenditure has propelled sales for pet care companies like Zigly.
“In the past eight nine months, we have increased between 7% and 10% per month,” said Poddar, whose company has reached a monthly value of gross goods of around 46 million rupees per month and is expected to reach 1 billion rupees by next year.
More and more companies that offer cheaper services, such as the pet care chain, the point of company, have also arisen to respond to customers increasingly middle class.
For most pets of pets these days, “the value for money has priority on primedization”, explains the co-founder of Pet Point, Akshay Mahendru. “A customer is more likely to obtain grooming services for his pet each week for 600 rupees, rather than somewhere above 1,500 rupees.”
Mr. Mahendru says that selling pets for relatively cheaper pets such as toys or snacks have also increased with the emergence of fast trade platforms like Zepto or Blinkit which make deliveries in 10-15 minutes.
Experts are optimistic that the pet care market in India has room to develop, given global trends. According to the Bloomberg Intelligence 2023 pet economy report, the World Care Sector Care for Pets, currently estimated at $ 320 billion, could exceed $ 500 billion by the end of this decade.
The Redseer report estimates that the pet care market in India doubles over the next three years and potentially cross $ 7 billion by 2028.
But challenges remain.
India continues to be obstinate by uneven economic growth, slowing down the consumption and stagnation of wages which can alleviate the growth of industry.
Most cities here also lack public spaces, hotels and transport adapted to domestic animals, with a multitude of drawbacks to parents of pets.
Whenever Mr. Bhushan and Mrs. Gulati travel with Mowgli, they bring portable beds and disposable plates and bowls “so we are always prepared during our stays,” explains Mr. Bhushan.
“However, problems arise when we leave for meals during our trips. Many places do not accept pets, which limits our options,” he adds.
Ms. Bapna is faced with similar challenges when they travel with muffins. But it is optimistic that things change.
“When I had it for the first time in 2021, there were very few places and activities adapted to pets. But now in Mumbai, there are special events, stations and cafes that welcome pets,” she said.
These days, Muffin can attend “socialization events”, where he can play with other dogs, or goes to pet festivals where he can play games and taste special pet food.
“It gives me hope,” said Ms. Bapna with a smile.
Follow BBC News India on Instagram, YouTube, X and Facebook.
