Most Indian pets are usually fed home-cooked food. While several pet food brands have tried to promote packaged food as an alternative, they have largely remained an alternative to home-cooked food. This has also shaped the growth of the pet food market in recent years. However, while affordable, localised dog food has grown quickly, cat nutrition is still a smaller and more restricted category. It’s not that Indian cat parents are denying their feline overlords better food, but rather, as a country, we’re more likely to welcome a tail-wagger into the family than a purring self-appointed CEO of the house. As of 2024, India had an estimated 37 Mn pet dogs, compared to just 4 Mn cats. But the gap isn’t only about numbers. Cats have more specific dietary needs and rely much more on specialised nutrition. Yet the category has largely been served by imported brands such as Whiskas and Me-O, where pricing, formulations and ingredient choices are not fully adapted to Indian conditions. It is this gap that Smylo is trying to fill. Birth Of A Cat Food Brand Founded in 2024 by former Titan Capital executives Abhishek Agrawal and Kartikeya Gupta, the startup is a cat food… Read MoreInc42 Media
