Look at what’s trending in human wellness right now: weight-loss breakthroughs, longevity science, gut health, stress relief and smart wearables. Now 2026 sees all these trends hitting the pet aisle too.
Our pets are family, and families share habits. Whatever we’re doing to live longer, calmer and healthier lives, we want to get the same for our companions curled up at the end of the bed.
Here’s how the biggest human wellness trends are reshaping pet care in 2026, and where we see this heading in 2027.
A market built on love
First, the scale of it. According to the American Pet Products Association (APPA), US pet industry spending reached $158 billion in 2025 and is projected to hit $165 billion in 2026.
Driving it is a generation that sees pets as children, not companions. Gen Z and Millennials now make up more than half of all US pet owners, and they’re bringing their own wellness mindset with them: proactive, personalized and focused on feeling good, not just fixing problems.
Trend 1: The GLP-1 effect hits the pet bowl
Ozempic and Wegovy changed the conversation around human weight loss. Pets are next.
Pet obesity is a real issue. In the US, 35% of dog owners and 33% of cat owners describe their pets as overweight, raising the risk of arthritis, diabetes and heart disease. Pharmaceutical companies are now racing to develop pet versions of GLP-1 drugs, while food brands get creative.
UK brand Omni Pet launched LeanPaws, a prescription-free supplement using amino acids and probiotics designed to mimic the same GLP-1 pathway as human weight-loss drugs, and raised £11 million in June 2026 to scale it. Meanwhile, Japanese brand Unicharm has redesigned kibble itself, making pieces larger and thicker so pets chew longer and eat more slowly.
The human trend, translated: smarter weight management without the struggle.
Trend 2: Longevity science goes four-legged
Longevity is the hottest topic in human wellness, and it's now crossing the species line. Pet brands are rolling out NAD+ boosters, cell-renewal supplements and joint-support peptides borrowed straight from human biohacking.
The biggest story is in medicine. Biotech company Loyal is developing LOY-002, a daily pill designed to extend the healthy lifespan of senior dogs. The FDA has already accepted its safety data, and Loyal plans to submit its final requirement for conditional approval this year, which could put a decision in 2027.
Approval isn’t guaranteed, but if it comes through, it would be the first drug approved to extend lifespan in any species. Yes, dogs may get there before we do.
Trend 3: Gut health is everything
Just as we’ve fallen for kombucha, kefir and probiotics, pet owners are obsessing over their animals’ microbiome. Research cited by GreyB shows 56% of dog owners and 54% of cat owners actively look for digestive health claims on pet food.
Brands are responding with prebiotics, probiotics and functional freeze-dried foods. Some are linking gut and mood too: Purina’s Calming Care supplement uses a specific probiotic strain designed to help dogs maintain calm behaviour, a pet take on the gut-brain connection that’s become so popular in human health.
Trend 4: Mental health, mood and calm
In human wellness, stress, burnout and nervous system health have gone mainstream. The same shift is happening for pets, as owners start seeing anxiety as a health issue rather than bad behavior.
Younger owners are leading the way. APPA data shows 78% of Gen Z dog owners and 71% of Gen Z cat owners already use calming products. Mordor Intelligence expects the pet calming products market to grow from $1.78 billion in 2026 to $3.10 billion by 2031, with demand rising fastest for non-pharmaceutical options.
Innovation is getting smarter too. Nestlé has developed a nutrient formula designed to support brain antioxidants linked to focus and energy. Mars has created long-lasting chews that use the simple act of chewing to help dogs unwind after training. Thunderstorms, fireworks, vet trips, car journeys and long days alone: owners want their pets to feel safe through all of it.
Trend 5: The rise of the cat (and the cat dad)
Cats are booming. APPA’s 2026 Cat Report shows cat ownership has climbed to 53 million US households, led by Gen Z and a growing wave of “cat dads.” Younger owners love cats for apartment living and flexible routines, and they’re spending on their wellbeing.
The catch? Cat wellness has always lagged behind dogs. Analysts tracking markets like New Zealand call cat-specific wellness underdeveloped and ready for growth. Expect 2027 to be the year cats finally get products designed around them.
Trend 6: Personalised everything
We track our sleep, our steps and our heart rate. Now we want the same for our pets. DNA tests, breed-specific nutrition and AI-powered health apps are tailoring care to the individual animal, with the global pet tech market forecast to grow from $19.1 billion in 2026 to $52.9 billion by 2035.
What’s coming in 2027
Put it all together and 2027 looks set to bring:
Pet longevity going mainstream. A possible first approval for a dog lifespan drug would turn pet longevity from a niche into a category.
Calm goes smart. Analysts point to smart home technology and behavioral monitoring coming together to drive calming products.
Drug-free first. For everyday stress and sleep, owners increasingly want gentle, non-pharmaceutical support before anything else.
Cats catch up. More products built for how cats actually live, rest and relax.
The problem with pet tech: our pets didn’t sign up for it
Here’s where it gets complicated. A lot of the latest pet wellness tech assumes your animal will happily cooperate. Smart collars to charge. Wearables to strap on. Apps to check. Supplements to sneak into dinner.
Dogs might tolerate it. Cats, on the other hand, have made their position very clear. Anyone who’s tried to put a cat in a jumper knows exactly how it ends: one indignant stare, a dramatic collapse onto the floor as if their legs have stopped working, then a walk backwards in protest until the offending item is gone.
Cats don’t do accessories. They do naps.
And that’s the point. The best wellness solution for a pet is the one they don’t even notice.
Hapbee Pets: wellness made simple
That’s why we built Hapbee Pets around the one thing every dog and cat already loves: rest.
The Hapbee Pets sleep pad uses gentle, drug-free frequency technology designed to help pets feel calm, settled and comfortable. There’s nothing to wear, nothing to swallow and nothing to wrestle into place. Just put it where your pet already likes to sleep and let them do the rest.
- No complex tech. No charging collars or tracking data to decode
- Nothing to wear. Your cat keeps their dignity. Your dog keeps their freedom
- No pills or treats. Calm support without anything to ingest
- Part of their routine. Naps, bedtime, after a busy day or before a stressful one.
While 2026 sees the industry borrow human wellness tech and adapting it for pets, we we already there. Hapbee Pet's technology was tested on humans first, which means it’s leading the way in a trend that is gathering pace.
Owners want calmer, healthier and longer-living pets, without making their lives harder. That’s exactly what Hapbee Pets is built to do.
Shop Hapbee Pets Pad here.
