Mars Petcare India has launched a new campaign under its Pedigree and Whiskas brands to raise awareness about the nutritional needs of dogs and cats. Titled ‘Feed Them Like Cats and Dogs’, the campaign features separate films for each brand, developed by BBDO India and BBDO Guerrero respectively. Both films explore everyday moments of bonding between pet parents and their animals, while emphasising that pets, though treated like family, have distinct biological needs that require specific nutrition.
The Pedigree film shows a pet parent observing how dogs respond to food based on instinct, while the Whiskas film features a quieter moment of realisation around a cat’s unique nutritional needs. The messaging builds on the idea that emotional closeness between pets and their owners should not translate into feeding them the same food as humans.
The campaign is supported by a new national survey of veterinarians across India. According to the findings, the majority of Indian pets suffer from poor nutrition due to home-cooked diets that lack essential nutrients. Most vets recommend packaged pet food as a more consistent and complete solution. The research also indicates that while pet parents are increasingly loving and involved, many still feed their pets based on emotional habits rather than nutritional knowledge.
Among the key insights, 91% of vets surveyed said packaged pet food is the best way to ensure calorie precision and balanced nutrition. 88% said home-cooked meals are inadequate to meet pets’ needs, and 86% expressed concern over human food causing nutritional imbalance or toxicity. 79% observed that pet parents are open to learning but lack awareness, while 69% reported that ignoring veterinary recommendations is a common issue. 65% advised packaged food as the most reliable way to ensure healthy feeding. Among those who monitored pets after switching diets, 70% observed better weight control, 66% reported increased energy, and 61% noted fewer digestive problems.
The campaign is currently live across pet stores, ecommerce platforms, digital and social media, veterinary clinics, and Mars’ distribution and retail networks.
Pedigree and Whiskas products are developed with the Waltham Petcare Science Institute and are designed to offer complete and balanced nutrition tailored to dogs and cats when fed as recommended.
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.”
