When pets become premium customers

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‘Once an unfamiliar concept in India, pet insurance is gradually gaining attention as owners begin to view veterinary care and financial protection as part of responsible pet ownership’.

File. | Photo Credit: AFP

Bella gives the bowl a doubtful look.

She takes a hesitant sniff of the pedigree food “served” before her, turns away and tosses it aside with immense disapproval.

For Tanvi, a journalist based in Bengaluru, this has become a familiar routine.

Her Persian cat, Bella, refuses regular Pedigree cat food and waits impatiently for the more expensive fare to arrive in her abowl—the one that, apparently, smells right.

Bella’s preference is more than a fussy pet’s eating habit.

It reflects a broader shift taking place in the pet-care market, where pet owners are increasingly willing to pay a premium for products they believe are better suited to their animals.

“A few years ago, expensive pedigree food like Royal Canin was a rarity and vanity in local pet shops,” says Renjith K.J., an amateur dog breeder.

Today, however, premium brands such as Royal Canin have become increasingly common in pet stores, reflecting a growing appetite for high-end pet products.

The transformation accelerated during the COVID-19 pandemic, when pet ownership and spending on pets surged.

A story published in The Hindu on July 25, 2026, highlighted how the pet industry boomed during the pandemic and underwent significant changes in the years that followed.

One of the most visible consequences has been the premiumisation of pet care.

What was once considered an optional or indulgent expense is increasingly being treated as an essential part of pet ownership.

Pet insurance offers another example of this changing consumer mindset.

Once an unfamiliar concept in India, pet insurance is gradually gaining attention as owners begin to view veterinary care and financial protection as part of responsible pet ownership.

The numbers point to a market with considerable room for growth.

According to data from IMARC, the global pet-care products market reached $48.6 billion in 2025.

The market is projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.24% between 2026 and 2034.

Dr.

Soorej K., founder of Cochin Pet Hospital, Kerala’s first private multi-speciality veterinary hospital, says the changing culture of pet ownership has significantly influenced attitudes towards pet care.

“The shift in the culture of raising dogs has resulted in a change in the attitude towards pet care.

Pet parents nowadays consider pets as family members,” he says.

This shift, he adds, has created a demand for more advanced and specialised treatment, which often comes at a higher cost.

“Expensive treatments like haemodialysis, laparoscopic surgery, keyhole animal birth control, etc., are offered nowadays for pets like dogs and cats.

Pet parents specifically ask for these novel methods of healthcare,” Dr.

Soorej says.

Healthcare for pets has become an increasingly expensive affair.

Aswathi, a teacher from Kozhikode district in Kerala, lost her pet dog, Appu, to heart disease.