Love Them Like Family, Feed Them Like Cats and Dogs
New Delhi [India], July 28: Despite growing love and emotional bonding in Indian pet households, pets are still fed like humans -- from the same kitchen, and often the same plate that lacks essential nutrients pets require. Addressing this gap, Mars, Incorporated, a global leader in pet care products and services, has launched 'Feed Them Like Cats and Dogs,' a campaign each for the Pedigree® and Whiskas® brands on raising awareness about the specific nutritional needs of dogs and cats. The message is simple and universal: pets may be family, but their nutrition requirements are biologically different.
In the Pedigree® brand film, a pet parent realises that dogs respond to their own natural instincts, especially around food. The Whiskas® brand film captures a quiet bonding moment where the pet parent comes to understand that while we treat cats as part of the family, their nutritional needs are uniquely their own. The campaign has been created by BBDO India and BBDO Guerrero, respectively.
The Pedigree® brand film
The Whiskas® brand film
The campaign is supported by a recent survey conducted among Indian veterinarians, which captured observations on what pets are being fed and the impact this has on their health. According to the findings, nutrition gaps are widespread among pets fed home prepared diets. Most vets recommend complete and balanced packaged pet food as a safer and more consistent option. Many vets report visible improvements in digestion, energy, and coat health when pet parents transition to packaged pet food. Key findings include:
Imbalanced pet bowls: 9 in 10 vets say Indian pets lack proper nutrition.
* 91% of vets say packaged pet food is the best way to ensure calorie precision and complete nutrition.
* 88% of vets agree that home-cooked food is not enough to provide adequate nutrition to pets.
* 86% of vets are concerned that feeding human food that lacks essential nutrients, or the right proportion of nutrients leads to nutritional imbalance, and toxicity.
* 79% say pet parents are willing to learn -- but lack awareness.
Stop feeding from your plate: say Indian vets as pet illnesses surge.
* 69% of vets say a common mistake made by Indian pet parents is ignoring veterinary recommendations and giving homemade diets without professional guidance.
* 65% of vets recommend feeding packaged pet food instead of human food and avoiding unsafe foods as the top way to ensure healthy feeding at home.
Difference is visible: benefits of switching to packaged pet food.
* 70% of vets noted better weight control in pets.
* 66% saw increased energy in pets.
* 61% observed fewer digestive issues in pets.
Dr. Umesh Kallahalli, Senior Veterinarian & Small Animal Consultant, Bangalore, said, "We regularly treat pets affected not by lack of care, but by habits driven by emotion rather than nutritional understanding. Pet parents today are more attentive, more involved, and more loving than ever. However, home-cooked food, no matter how wholesome it seems, does not provide what pets truly need, unless formulated by a qualified veterinary nutritionist. We see the effects every day -- fatigue, weak immunity, dull coats, and digestive issues. These are not signs of neglect; they are signs of misinformed love. That is what makes campaigns like these on feeding the right nutrition to pets by Mars an imperative for a country like India."
Salil Murthy, Managing Director, Mars Petcare India, said, "We are seeing a generational shift in how India relates to pets. They are companions at the heart of the family, but this emotional closeness has also created blind spots especially with respect to pet nutrition. Feeding choices by pet parents in India are often guided by sentiment, not science. Our campaign is helping pet parents bring the two together and shift the narrative from emotional feeding to informed feeding. As market leaders, we believe it is our responsibility to educate pet parents on what feeding right truly means and counter the common misconceptions regarding pet nutrition."
Ayesha Huda, Chief Marketing Officer, Mars Petcare India, said, "India needs a step change in how we think about pet nutrition. Despite rising pet ownership and growing affection towards pets, over 90% of Indian pet parents still feed home-cooked food--unaware that it lacks all the essential nutrients pets need to live a healthy, happy life. It is time to shift from emotional feeding to evidence-based care. Backed by Mars 90 years of global nutritional expertise in pet care, the Pedigree® and Whiskas® brands ensure complete and balanced nutrition when fed as recommended."
The high decibel campaign will be visible across pet stores, ecommerce platforms, social media, digital platforms, veterinary clinics, retail environments and the distribution network of Mars. It invites Indian pet parents to reflect on what goes into the bowl -- and whether it truly reflects what their pet needs, to lead a healthier life.
The Pedigree® and Whiskas® brands are scientifically formulated to provide complete and balanced nutrition tailored to the unique needs of dogs and cats. Developed with experts at the Waltham Petcare Science Institute, it ensures pets receive the right nourishment every day, in every bowl.
ABOUT MARS, INCORPORATED
Mars, Incorporated is driven by the belief that the world we want tomorrow starts with how we do business today. As an approximately $55bn family-owned business, our diverse and expanding portfolio of leading pet care products and veterinary services support pets all around the world and our quality snacking and food products delight millions of people every day. We produce some of the world's best-loved brands including ROYAL CANIN®, PEDIGREE®, WHISKAS®, CESAR®, DOVE®, EXTRA®, M & M's®, SNICKERS® and BEN'S ORIGINAL™. Our international networks of pet hospitals, including BANFIELD™, BLUEPEARL™, VCA™ and ANICURA™ span preventive, general, specialty, and emergency veterinary care, and our global veterinary diagnostics business ANTECH® offers breakthrough capabilities in pet diagnostics. The Mars Five Principles--Quality, Responsibility, Mutuality, Efficiency and Freedom--inspire our 150,000 Associates to act every day to help create a better world for people, pets and the planet.
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