Ever heard of Tika the Iggy?
She’s an Italian Greyhound with over one million followers on Instagram, a wardrobe bigger than most humans, and a fashion sense that’s landed her at New York Fashion Week. She doesn’t bark much, but when she “speaks,” people listen.
And she’s not the only one.
From musical cockatiels like YumYum to TikTok-famous Frenchies and sassy Yorkies with their own catchphrases, pet influencers are taking over social feeds and brand campaigns.
Why? Because they’re relatable, non-controversial, endlessly entertaining… and, honestly, who doesn’t stop scrolling for a cute animal doing something hilarious?
But pet influencers are more than just a fun interlude in our daily scroll. They’re surprisingly effective marketing partners, especially for brands looking to scale user-generated content, increase engagement, or run clever influencer campaigns.
Sounds good? Let’s go!
In this guide, we’ll show you what makes these influencers so impactful, which famous pet influencers to watch right now, and how to build “pawsome” campaigns that actually convert.
Who is a Pet influencer?
A pet influencer is exactly what it sounds like: a furry (or feathered!) content creator that builds a following online by sharing cute, funny, or impressive moments.
These pets are often “managed” by their owners, who create and post content on platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.
But don’t be fooled… while it might seem like it’s just for fun, many of these animal stars have engagement rates that rival human influencers.
From pugs in pajamas to cats with cooking tutorials, pet influencers connect with audiences in a way that feels authentic, wholesome, and emotionally resonant.
And it hasn’t gone unnoticed. Brands in the pet food and lifestyle space are getting savvy to the power of pet influencers and are turning to these famous furballs to help promote scroll-stopping user-generated content (UGC).
Let’s dive into the numbers 👇
- Pet content gets high engagement. Everyone loves a cat video, and that’s reflected in the stats. According to NextMSC, the average engagement rate for pet influencers is 5%, which is almost 5x higher than the average of their human counterparts.
- TikTok pet influencers go viral fast. The short-form format makes it ideal for quirky animal content. Hashtags like #dogsoftiktok and #catsoftiktok have billions of views, and many pets have built followings in the hundreds of thousands within months.
A collaboration with pet influencers, such as cat bloggers and dog bloggers, often feels more relatable and less “salesy” than traditional creators (we’re pretty sure dogs don’t have an ulterior motive when they’re in front of the camera).
Top Pet Influencers To Watch
Looking to add some pawsitive energy to your feed? These popular pet influencers aren’t just adorable, they're also masters of storytelling, content creation, and audience engagement.
1. Mr Sherlock
This fluffy Corgi is a self-proclaimed "snack detective and full-time heartbreaker." With a knack for comedic timing and relatable antics, Mr. Sherlock's content is both charming and professionally executed (the video transitions are on point). His reels often show humorous scenarios paired with trending sounds that appeal to a broad audience.
2. Murph the Yorkie
Murph brings a dose of cuteness and charisma to the Instagram world. His playful personality shines through in his posts, which often feature him wearing cute outfits and mimicking viral videos.
3. Louie Clark
Louie, the French Bulldog, offers a glimpse into the "Frenchie life" alongside his human, Lisa. His account often features him running errands, lounging in aesthetic home setups, or reacting to everyday situations with viral soundbites. One recent collab featured Louie “reviewing” a new toy drop, complete with expressive side-eye.
4. Arty, Midnight & Boo
This photogenic trio of black cats leans into the moody and mysterious aesthetic, with occasional seasonal flair (think Halloween shoots, candlelit vibes, and cozy setups). Their grid looks curated, with consistent lighting and thoughtful props.
5. Little Louie
Little Louie is a very pretty cat renowned for his expressive face and playful energy. His feed is full of lazy day-in-the-life videos, aesthetic sunshine shots, and close-up photos of his face. It documents his life from a shelter cat to the self-proclaimed “posh life”.
6. Simon Sits
This Brooklyn-based rescue shares heartfelt, slice-of-life captions about mental health, adoption, and daily routines. His partnerships tend to lean purpose-driven, including nonprofit campaigns and rescue awareness, thanks to thoughtful shelter stories and content from his owner about what it’s like living with a foster dog.
7. Dr George
Dr. George is a practicing vet with a difference—he’s actually a cat. He shares funny and educational content on TikTok using a voiceover as if he were actually speaking to his audience. Regular video segments include his “day-in-the-life” rundowns of what it’s like working at a vet clinic and light, clickbaity content like “things my coworkers do that annoy me”.
8. Yum Yum the Tiel
YumYum is a musical cockatiel who sings songs, mimics voices, and interacts with his human in adorable, often hilarious ways. He regularly goes viral with sound-based skits and mini “concerts,” and his account has a large, dedicated fan base. Bird care brands, toys, and pet-safe home products would fit naturally into YumYum’s world of music and motion.
9. Kassadee Cameron
Kassadee shares her life with a handful of pets, with content that feels like hanging out with a friend. Her videos range from comical day-in-the-life clips to tear-jerking rescue stories. She’s partnered with shelters and indie pet brands before, and her storytelling style works best for UGC campaigns that need warmth and authenticity.
10. Mav and Mel
This duo shares training tips, adventures, and high-energy content, often with Maverick the dog as the star (fun fact: his favorite word is “murder”). Mel’s engaging on-camera presence makes them a go-to for tutorials, brand demos, or behind-the-scenes product tests.
11. Tika the Iggy
Tika, an Italian Greyhound from Montreal, is a bona fide fashion icon in the pet world. With a wardrobe boasting over 300 outfits, she showcases everything from feathered jackets to colorful trench coats and has graced events like New York Fashion Week. Her humorous voice-overs and expressive poses have captivated over a million followers.
12. Tuna Melts My Heart
Tuna, a Chiweenie with a distinctive overbite and endearing expressions, has amassed 1.9 million Instagram followers. His content ranges from humorous costumes to heartfelt messages that resonate with a broad, animal-loving audience.
13. Buddy the Birdy
Buddy, a Canadian cockatiel, delights his 78k Instagram followers with musical performances and charming antics. His content, which includes singing and interactive videos, offers a refreshing take on pet influencing.
How do Pet Influencers Change The Marketing Game
Pet influencers are more than just cute faces on our feeds.
As we mentioned earlier, these four-legged creators boast higher-than-average engagement rates (hello, 5%, compared to the ~1.5% average for human creators). That’s significantly higher than many lifestyle or fashion influencers.
We can only imagine this is because pet content is universally loved, low on controversy, and highly shareable.
But there’s more beneath the surface.
Here’s why brands are increasingly partnering with pet influencers:
Emotional Connection = Stronger Conversion Rates
Animals trigger an emotional response. Whether it’s joy, nostalgia, or laughter, that response makes audiences more receptive to branded messages. One TikTok featuring a dog trying a new treat can get hundreds of thousands of views and convert just as well as a polished brand ad.
Broad Audience Appeal
Pet content crosses demographics. It speaks to Gen Z, Millennials, Boomers, and even kids. That means one campaign with a pet influencer can touch multiple audience segments without having to niche down heavily.
Trust and Authenticity
People trust pet content because it doesn’t feel salesy (even when it’s sponsored). That makes it ideal for UGC-based campaigns that aim to blend seamlessly into social feeds.
Versatile Content Formats
One of the biggest strengths of pet influencers is their ability to create content that fits any format, any platform, and any stage of your funnel. From short-form videos to eye-catching stills, they know how to produce engaging, on-brand content that drives results.
You’ll often see them shine on Instagram Reels and TikTok, where they bring their pets' personalities to life through skits, voiceovers, and trending audio. They’re also pros at capturing fun, authentic unboxing stories that make your product feel like a genuine treat.
Perfect for Product Seeding and UGC Production
You don’t always need a big budget to work with pet influencers. With product seeding, you can send items (treats, grooming tools, toys) in exchange for authentic reviews. It’s a cost-effective way to gather UGC that you can repurpose across paid ads, email, and your website.
In short, pet influencers are changing the marketing game because they’re relatable, reliable, and results-driven.
Claw-ver Campaign ideas for Pawsome Results
Claw-ver… clever and awesome, get it?
Pet influencers open the door to playful and heartwarming campaigns. So, if you’re wondering how to use these lovable, waggy-tailed critters in your content marketing, here are some tried-and-tested ideas you can run with.
Giveaways That Bark Up the Right Tree
Team up with a pet influencer to run a branded giveaway. Ask followers to share photos of their own pets, tag friends, or follow your account for a chance to win. This is a proven tactic for increasing reach, driving engagement, and collecting user-generated content.
Bark Bistro Company shares its summer giveaway, where followers can win a load of goodies.
Unboxings with Personality
Send your product to a pet influencer and let their personality shine. Whether it’s a dog “reviewing” a box of treats or a cat “judging” a new toy, unboxing videos are not only entertaining but great for showing off product features in a unique way.
Hazel the Mini-Weener often unboxes dog clothes, toys, and treats.
Treat and Repeat Campaigns
Turn a single collab into a recurring content series. For example, partner with an influencer to post a weekly “Snack Test Tuesday” using your product. This encourages people to anticipate your posts and builds up visibility over time.
Jolleyes hosts a regular Treat Tuesday segment on its Instagram page.
Branded Challenges (With a Hashtag!)
Create a campaign around a fun challenge, like the #CatchTheTreat challenge or #PetGlowUp with your grooming products. Ask the influencer to kick it off and invite their followers to participate, share, and tag your brand.
For National Dog Day, Chewy introduced the digital-first #ChewyChattyPets campaign, a TikTok Hashtag Challenge inviting pet parents to bring their pets’ most entertaining inner monologues to life.
To kick off the campaign, Chewy partnered with five official TikTok creators and provided a Chewy-original audio track to ignite participation. In less than 24 hours, the campaign received over 578 submissions and more than 695 million video views.
Location-Based Campaigns
Invite local pet influencers to visit your space, try your product or service in person, and share the experience with their audience.
Here are a few examples:
- A pet insurance company partners with dog bloggers to visit the vet for a wellness check.
- A DTC pet brand sponsors a “Bark & Brunch” pop-up and invites local dog influencers to attend, film content, and hand out exclusive promo codes.
- A pet café hosts a “Bring Your Cat to Coffee Day” and features stories from cat influencers who highlight the food, the vibe, and the cat-friendly touches.
A national park invited Kona to explore and share his experience.
Affiliate Campaigns with Promo Codes
One of the most effective ways to work with pet influencers is through affiliate campaigns with unique promo codes.
You essentially give each creator their own personalized promo code (e.g., “LUNA10” for 10% off), which they share with their audience when promoting your product. Every time someone uses that code, the influencer earns a small commission, and you make a sale.
Each code is trackable, too, so you get clear data on performance. You’ll know exactly which creators are driving clicks, conversions, and revenue.
Riley the Shibainu offers followers money off if they use his affiliate code at checkout when buying treats from Carnivorous Cravings.
Educational “A Day in the Life” Series
If you want to promote supplements, health products, or even pet tech, try partnering with a creator to walk through their pet’s daily routine. It makes it easy to slip in your product naturally (like “every morning starts with a joint chew!”) while keeping the content useful.
Dr George publishes regular “come to work with me” videos.
How to Choose the Perfect Pet Influencer
Not all pet influencers are created equal. Some are total pros at nailing campaign briefs with polished, ready-to-post UGC. Others shine in their scrappy, real-talk storytelling style.
So, how do you pick the right one for your brand?
Here’s what to look at.
Engagement Rate Over Follower Count
Sure, a million followers looks impressive, but if the content is getting crickets in the comments, it’s not going to get the results you want.
A pet influencer with 10,000 followers and a 5% engagement rate might outperform a bigger account with lower engagement. Tools like Insense’s Creator Marketplace let you filter by both audience size and engagement to find the best fit.
Follower Growth and Content Consistency
When choosing a pet influencer, one of the first things to look for is steady follower growth, not just viral spikes. A slow and steady climb suggests they’re building a loyal audience, not just chasing trends or bot boosts. That kind of organic growth tends to mean better engagement, stronger community trust, and more meaningful results when it comes to branded content.
But follower count alone isn’t enough. You also want to look at content consistency: are they showing up regularly with the same level of energy, personality, and creativity?
💡 Pro tip: Use Insense’s creator profiles to see historical performance data and evaluate whether their growth and consistency match your campaign needs.
Narrative and Tone
Does the pet influencer have a recognizable personality? Maybe they’re renowned for being a “grumpy cat”, a fashion-forward pup, or a musical cockatiel. Strong character development makes the content more memorable and helps your product easily slot into the story.
Audience Alignment
Check who’s engaging with the content. Is the audience made up of pet parents, casual animal lovers, or niche communities (like bird owners or rescue advocates)? You want your ideal buyer to be the one double-tapping.
Previous Brand Collabs
Have they worked with other brands before? Do their past ads feel natural or overly staged? On Insense’s self-serve platform, you can view previous campaign results and performance metrics to help you decide.
Here’s an example of a previous brand collab from Otis and Rosie:
💡 The sweet spot is a creator with a clear tone, great storytelling, a responsive audience, and a style that complements your brand’s own visuals.
How to Know Your Campaign Was Meow-morable
So, you’ve launched your pet influencer campaign, and the content’s rolling in. So… how do you know it actually worked?
Let’s break it down:
Start With Clear Goals
Define what success looks like before you launch your campaign. Is your focus reach? Content quality for repurposing? Website traffic from affiliate links?
When you know what you want to achieve, it’s much easier to track your campaigns and understand if they’re getting the results you want.
Track Core Metrics
Once your campaign is live, keep an eye on:
- Views and Impressions: How far is your content spreading?
- Engagement Rate: Are people liking, commenting, and sharing?
- CTR or Link Clicks: How well are your CTAs performing?
- Promo Code Usage: Super useful for affiliate campaigns.
- Content Turnaround Time: Especially if speed is a priority.
With Insense’s performance dashboard, you can easily track metrics like CPM, spend, and engagement across creators.
Review the Content Quality
Beyond numbers, take a look at the final UGC. Does it align with your brand guidelines? Is it something you'd feel proud to use in a paid ad or email? Great content has long-term value, and that’s worth noting for future reuse.
Note the Learnings for Next Time
Did you love working with a certain creator? Was a particular type of hook or format more engaging? Add those insights to your campaign notes so you're ready to scale next time.
Ready to Put Your Brand In Front of Pet-Loving Audiences?
From heart-melting content to sky-high engagement, pet influencers offer a unique way to connect with customers in a fun, authentic, and scalable way.
Want to find the perfect pet influencer and launch your campaign?
Try Insense today and see how easy it is to connect with creators, manage content, and scale your brand with paws-itively great UGC. Book a demo.
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