Rule 34 of the internet – a meme/trope that’s been kicking around for more than 20 years – dictates that any topic you can think of online also has a porno version.

A similar(ish) rule can be applied to fmcg: for every big human trend, there’s a petcare equivalent. Hence the wealth of plant-based petfood options from the likes of Lily’s Kitchen, The Pack, Edgard & Cooper, Hownd, W’Zis and many others.

That’s not the only example. The UK’s petcare category boasts all kinds of meals and treats that are free-from, minimally processed, sustainable, promote sleep or contain collagen or CBD.

Then there’s gut health. For people, it’s big business – widely expected to hit $47bn globally by 2030. No wonder Holland & Barrett declared 2024 to be “the year of the gut microbiome”.

“Gut health and the gut microbiome have fast become hot topics – and not just in scientific health research – with #guttok content now attracting more than seven billion views and #gutmicrobiome clocking over 730k views every week on TikTok,” the retailer revealed last year.

And myriad food & drink brands have grabbed a piece of the action, innovating at a rate of knots. The past few months alone have unleased Pepsi Prebiotic Cola, Yeo Valley organic Kefir with Granola, Aldi own label kombucha, Bio&Me’s relaunched flapjacks, Symprove Pineapple probiotic shots, and so much more.

Pet wellness trends

In accordance with the fmcg rule above, the petcare category is similarly awash with tummy-centric products. Just this month, Scrumbles has grown its Gut Friendly range with wet catfood in recyclable pouches, while Pooch & Mutt has added Bone Broth Health & Digestion, Gut Health Test and Gut Health Supplements.

Omni, on the other hand, has taken a different approach to fur babies’ bellies. It wants to make them smaller – which is why it’s unveiled Pawzempic, a drug-free supplement designed to combat canine obesity.

Obviously, it’s inspired by the success of human weight-loss medications, which are a major topic in food & drink. “Ozempic – along with its metabolic cousins Wegovy and Mounjaro – has slipped into the bloodstream of culture, and it’s not just reshaping waistlines. It’s reshaping behaviour,” Jon Williams, founder & CEO of The Liberty Guild, wrote in The Grocer last month.

That Pawzempic will do the same among dogs seems unlikely (at the moment). But will it be the last pet product to tap the fad for GLP-1 drugs? Probably not. Wagovy and Meowjaro feel inevitable.

And like Pawzempic, they will be illustrative of – and testament to – the agility and ingenuity so many petcare brands show in keeping pace with the hottest human trends.

“Hang on!” you cry. “If they’re so on the ball, where are the Dubai-style chocolate treats for cats, freeze-dried candies for dogs, lion’s mane gummies for rabbits, or turmeric shots for budgies?”

To which I point to Rule 35 of the internet: if there is no porn of it, porn will be made of it.

You get the rest.

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