The domestic pet food and pet grooming supply market has grown in volume in recent years following an increasing public penchant for family pets.
Pet lovers, especially those living in city areas, have a fondness for animals like dog, cat, caged bird, rabbit, guinea pig, hamster and aquarium fish.
Many pets, either imported or sensitive to nature, require constant care and healthy nutritious diet.
This care-giving trend and diet have surged demand for various pet food items, medicines, litters, toys, ornaments and other grooming products.
Apart from superstores in Dhaka's posh areas, pet food and grooming products are available on online marketplaces and specialised digital pet shops.
Shahjahan Molla, owner of Molla Traders at Gulshan-1 Dhaka North City Corporation Market, said, "Retail pet shop owners regularly visit my shop to buy cat and dog food wholesale."
Most of the pet food are imported by some old Dhaka-based trading companies, he noted.
Online shops like petcobd.com, bdpets.com, petbangla.com, katabononline.com, pet.com.bd and chaldal.com sell such food and care products.
Mostafa Kamal, owner of poshaprani.com, said cat food, cat litter and toys for them are on the list of their top-selling products.
People also buy pet drugs and vitamins from his shop as these products are mostly unavailable at typical drugstores, he added.
However, industry insiders could not ascertain the size of pet food market here but they have been fetching increased orders in the past several years.
chaldal.com, a popular online marketplace for grocery and other consumer products, retails pet food, especially for dogs and cats, at Tk 200-2,750.
The prices of these packaged food made of mostly fish, chicken, turkey and beef vary as per size, quality and brand.
Cat shampoo of different brands is priced at Tk 600-850, dog shampoo to remove tick and flea at Tk 450-500 and cat litter at Tk 350-500.
Pet accessories like cage, water pot, food pot, lash, nametag, dog and cat collar, dress and bed are also available on specialised online shops.
Seed-mix for birds like budgerigar, finch, cockatiel, parrot and fancy pigeons is selling from Tk 250 to Tk 340 per kilogram.
Nawrin Kamal, a Niketon resident, owns two dogs: a German Spitz and a Maltese.
She said her furry dogs need bathing twice or thrice a month and frequent combing to remove biting fleas.
Besides, they need nutritious food, vitamins, treats, medicines and toys to remain playful and healthy.
Ms Kamal said, "Usually, I go to a nearby super shop to buy habitual food for the dogs."
"In terms of treats, medicine, potty litter and toys, online shops and Facebook groups are top on my list."
There are also pet-specific societies active in social media who buy, sell, exchange and adopt pets.
The Facebook-based pet lovers' societies include Bangladesh Lovebird Society, Hamster Society, Monster Aquarists, Pigeon Buy and Sell, Cat Lovers BD and Dog Lovers Society.
Mordor Intelligence, an Indian market research firm, projected that the global pet food market may reach $113.2 billion by 2024. It is currently $87 billion.
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