.jpg)
Plowy the Cat, managed by owners Manisha and Hitesh Sharma, has become one of India’s top travel pet influencers. With over 2.7 lakh kilometres logged across India and abroad, Plowy’s social media presence has led to collaborations with major travel and lifestyle brands. The partnerships now generate enough income to cover business class flights for her vacations.
She has collaborated with hospitality giants like Hyatt, ITC and Ayatana. Uber collaborated with Plowy to bring to life the idea of pet-friendly luxury.
Plowy’s brand associations now go far beyond petcare. She has promoted fashion chains like Pantaloons, a beer-based grooming line for men, and even starred in Volkswagen and Birla Opus Paint commercials.
“Cute dog pictures in sunglasses or a cat lounging in a luxury suite—it’s more than viral content now. These visuals are brand assets. People connect with them instantly,” said Manisha Sharma, owner of Plowy the cat.
“At first, we even found it strange—how can a cat sell paint? But it worked. People watched, engaged and remembered it. It’s about relatability. Pets can make the driest product feel emotional,” she said,
The Rise of Cross-Category Petfluencing
Until recently, pet influencers mostly promoted pet food, treats, and grooming kits. Brands in the petcare space were the only ones tapping into this niche, and it stayed that way for years.
But now, marketers have figured out something smarter. They’ve realized that these furry content creators aren't just good for selling chew toys, but they're also great at selling travel, fashion, lifestyle, even personal care. The CTRs (click-through rates) on pet-led ads often outperform traditional influencer content, according to the influencer marketing experts.
The reason behind this change is influencer fatigue is growing and consumers are increasingly placing their trust in pet influencers over human influencers, according to a recent study published in The Journal of Advertising Research.
The study revealed that the petfluencers—animals with social media presence—often appear more trustworthy than their human counterparts when endorsing products.
"While the persuasiveness of human influencers often stems from their relatability or aspirational appeal, petfluencers are seen as more genuine and sincere. Because they are pets, they have no hidden agenda. They don't come with the baggage or scandals that sometimes follow human influencers, which makes them seem more trustworthy," according to the report.
Think: a cat lounging at a hotel, a dog modelling the latest streetwear drop, or a golden retriever posing next to beard cream with product-perfect whiskers. Suddenly, the ad feels less pushy, more charming—and consumers are responding.
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Satvik Bhatia (@satvikbhatiaa)
In fact, one of her standout brand collaborations involved beard grooming items—a product entirely for humans, not felines. Sounds absurd? Not when you consider how it was positioned. “They were cruelty-free, not tested on animals, and the brushes were made of synthetic material — not animal fur. So it became a Plowy-approved product,” Manisha explained.
The couple notes a growing trend where pets and their human friend both are brand targets. “Say there are 1 lakh pet owners—each with a pet. That’s not just 1 lakh pets; it’s 2 lakh users for the brand. Because every time the pet is in frame, the human is also a target,” Hitesh explained.
This is exactly why brands across sectors—not just pet food and toys—are now looking at pets as ambassadors.
Paw-Print of India’s Petfluencers
Plowy’s journey began six years ago, when Manisha and her husband Hitesh started sharing her daily life online. Within three months, they landed their first brand deal with Andaz Hyatt, Delhi. “There’s no way for brands to directly target pet owners on platforms like Instagram. That’s where niche communities like ours help, we have built a trusted space on social media for people who love pets,” said Manisha.
Plowy isn’t the only pet stealing the spotlight—several furry influencers are making serious noise online. Doodle the Beagle shares parenting and lifestyle tips with a 575K+ YouTube family. Siberian Husky Nawab Tyagi, aka Kedarnath Boy, is India’s first paragliding pet and runs the country’s first verified dog page.
August, the ginger cat, rules the fashion game with her ‘It Girl’ looks. Simbaboss, a Labrador, entertains 5L+ YouTube fans with trendy, pet-friendly content.
Manisha, a corporate lawyer turned digital entrepreneur, told e4m that she handles all content creation and editing. Their pet travel vlogs are all documented from Plowy’s feline perspective.
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Plowythecat (@plowythecat)
A Lucrative Space with Serious Numbers
India’s pet economy is already booming, expected to hit $7 billion by 2028. Driven by rising disposable incomes, the growing number of fur-parents, and a shift toward premium spending on pet care, the industry is in full expansion mode. Add to that the rise of the DINKWAD—double income, no kids, with a dog—a trend seen online.
“When we started, we had no clue it could be done collaboratively with brands,” recalled Manisha.
“But our first trip to Andaz in Aero City was an eye-opener. We got flooded with DMs asking about the property — how pet-friendly it really was, what the experience was like.” The overwhelming response pointed to a larger insight: there was a huge gap in awareness around pet-friendly travel, and content creators like them were now in a unique position to fill it.
“People used to leave their pets with family or boarding homes while travelling. Now, they message us for travel tips with their pets,” said Manisha. But it wasn’t just the followers who were listening — hotel owners were taking note too. “Many large hotel chains were inspired to open up their properties for pets”.
Building More Than a Following, Creating a Community
According to Manisha, what truly drives brand interest isn’t just Plowy’s cuteness—it's the loyal and deeply engaged audience they’ve cultivated.
“Building a community should be every creator’s first goal. If you have 10 engaged followers who trust you, brands will notice. This trust is the real value,” she said. “Don’t chase brands. Chase creativity.”
“Our aim has always been to make people smile,” said Manisha. “Pets bring happiness. And we wanted that feeling to reflect in our content.” The result? Plowy has grown into more than a pet — she’s become a companion to the community. “If we don’t post for a day, people message asking, ‘Where is Plowy? We’re worried!’”
With the rise in pet ownership post-Covid and an increasing number of pet-friendly spaces and services, the scope is expanding far beyond novelty. “Cats are still underrepresented online. We need more creators to come in. One pet doesn’t build a category—you need a market of influencers to build an industry,” Manisha said.
“We made them believe that the pet-parenting category is big, profitable, and largely untapped. They saw the business sense in catering to this community,” said Hitesh.
Manisha encouraged budding pet content creators to start, not with monetisation in mind, but with purpose. “If your content is inspiring people to travel with their pets or simply love them more, you’re already doing something powerful. The money will follow,” she said.
“Today, a good creator can make ?1 lakh a month or more. Platforms are rewarding creators like never before.”
What makes the content truly engaging is its organic nature. “We don’t force Plowy into anything. It’s like waiting for a tiger sighting in the jungle — you have to be patient to capture the magic. “She sleeps when we sleep, wakes when we do. She has her own wardrobe, even a designer.”
Her content has caught the attention of celebrities too. “Usually, people want pictures with celebrities. But when Plowy is around, celebs want pictures with her,” said Hitesh. “She steals the spotlight every time.”
Plowy brand wishlist? After working with Amazon, their dream collaboration is now with Instagram itself. “We’d love to work directly with platforms to amplify this movement and reach more pet parents,” said Manisha.
She expressed her interest in collaborating with the Government of India’s tourism board to promote India as a pet-friendly destination for travellers.
Influencer personal branding also plays a very huge role here. Even her name carries a story. ‘Plowy’ may sound like a pet name, but it’s actually derived from her fur color—in Polish. “Manisha researched names deeply. She wanted something meaningful, yet unique.
Petfluencer to Power Brand
According to data from Qoruz, India currently has 1,415 active pet influencers with over 5,000 followers each. With an average engagement rate of 2.77%, petfluencers are holding their own space on social media—racking up 11,000 likes per post and an impressive 145,000 views per video.
While their engagement may trail behind categories like parenting (5.66%) and entertainment (6.12%), the emotional connect they offer is unmatched.
Aditya Gurwara, Co-Founder and Head of Brand Alliance at Qoruz said, “What’s really exciting is how creative this space has become. From unboxing videos featuring golden retrievers to skincare routines with Sphynx cats, it’s storytelling at its most wholesome and entertaining.”
He adds that smaller D2C pet brands are increasingly tapping into this space—not just to push products, but to build real, lifestyle-driven campaigns that resonate with India’s growing community of pet lovers.
As per recent market rate, pet influencers in India can potentially earn near around ?10,000 to ?20,000 per post, or even higher for larger influencers. The amount earned depends on factors like follower count, engagement, and the type of brand collaborations. Some pet influencers have even reported earning more than ?10 crore annually.
.jpg)
