Plowy, the cat, is the most travelled cat in India, having done over 3 lakh kilometres of road trips, and exploring 17 states, and is also the country’s top petfluencer. A TIMES Power Creator Awardee, the celebrity cat has over 110k followers on Instagram – thanks to her unique personality, honey-filled eyes, adorable antics, and stunning fashion sense. A diva like no other, Plowy’s personality and spirit have captured the hearts of netizens, making her a social media icon.
Pet influencers are having their moment under the spotlight, with thousands of followers, paid collaborations and social media fame in tow.
Another petfluencer is Poppin, the cute beagle, based out of Mumbai. When Simran and her partner started Poppins’ page, they had no idea about Instagram’s mysterious algorithm or the grind of posting regularly. The beagle has travelled to 16 Indian states, and her wanderlust will put even the most serious travel freaks to shame.
But slowly, Poppins’ adventures started finding their way into so many hearts. “In the thick of the pandemic, during our 25-hour train journey from Delhi to Goa — which got delayed — we started @triplesundae on Instagram, somewhere between tunnels and fleeting Wi-Fi,” shared Poppins’ parent, Simran.
India’s number one traveller dog, Ragnar, with 542K followers, loves exploring new places and documenting his experiences. Doodle the Beagle won India’s 1st Pet Creator Award, while Nawab Tyagi was the first dog to get their social media page verified on Instagram.
Pet parents have turned their efforts to preserve memories into a large-scale business, opening their furry friends to the world of likes and shares. Posting regularly, consistently, and staying on top of trends has helped them hack the algorithm. But for working pet parents such as Tiu Hazra and her partner, staying consistent is hard.
“Posto — a Bengaluru-based Cocker Spaniel — is a supermodel,” she said, adding that they focus on creating short, informative content to appeal to their audience, while Posto’s charm makes up for the rest of it.
Not all trends are curated for the four-legged, though. Manisha shared that they often end up tweaking regular trends and getting creative to let Plowy take part without feeling too uncomfortable.
When Simran and her partner started Poppins’ page, they had no idea about Instagram’s mysterious algorithm or the grind of posting regularly. But slowly, Poppins’ adventures began finding their way into so many hearts. While they mostly post reels about exploring new terrains, car and train travel with pets, pet-friendly resorts, stays, and even pet cafés in the city, their use of Instagram trends is primarily an attempt to share glimpses of Poppins’ everyday life.
“Honestly, we don’t chase numbers. This is—and will always be—what started as a passion project and has now grown into a community of like-minded animal lovers who exchange information about pet travel, pet health and stress over outdated animal laws together. Our followers know they can reach out to us when they need help, and it works the other way around, too,” she shared candidly.
Pet influencers are having their moment under the spotlight (Photo Credit: Manisha)
She and her husband started Plowy’s Instagram account to spread happiness and positivity in the world. “We believe nobody can be sad once they see a cute cat on the Internet,” she told indianexpress.com. The couple, who wanted to document her adventures, journey, and travels, manages her account as a team.
But in the race to create content, pet parents reiterate the importance of prioritising their pet’s health, wellness, and safety. Balancing Plowy’s love for travel with the need for rest is crucial, said Manisha, while Hazra revealed that much of Posto’s videos are shot only when he is in the mood for it.
A lot of pet parents still find it hard to believe that they can take their furries along on trains, something that stirred Simran down the memory lane, recalling her first rescue, Buzo, who took the train from Kolkata to Delhi to see her when she was in college. Or to visit the vet for bigger issues, since Kolkata had a dearth of good vets back then.
“Through our Instagram page, we wanted to share how exhilarating it is to watch your pets live their best life — a life exploring the great outdoors,” elaborated Simran, highlighting something many pet parents were missing out on and were reluctant to try.