One such pet influencer is Kaori von Nicholl, known by her username Kaori or handle @fluffykaori, a 1-year-old gray and white Alaskan Malamute that belongs to Angela Benita Budiman, a 19-year-old law student at Pelita Harapan University in Tangerang, Banten.

Angela shares snippets of Kaori's daily life and adorable shenanigans on TikTok, where the white fluffy pooch has gained 2 million followers. She also has 183,000 YouTube subscribers and 25,500 Instagram followers.

"The first time I posted a video of Kaori was when Kaori had just arrived at my house. I posted the video on TikTok and it was just for fun at first. But it turned out that the video immediately went viral, and people gave positive responses such as 'cute', 'adorable' and the like," recalled Angela.

"Some people asked me to post videos about Kaori [more regularly] and some asked me about dogs [in general], so my TikTok account became more active. As time went by, I [realized] that Kaori’s [personality] was unique and adorable, so I frequently took videos of Kaori being herself," she continued.

Duffy is another pet influencer, a red fawn toy poodle that uses the handle @duffythepoodle, who has been active since 2018 and now has 9,760 Instagram followers.

His "pawrent", or pet parent, is Veronica Kurniawan, a 37-year-old entrepreneur who also lives in Tangerang.

"Originally, I made the account just for fun to share Duffy's activities and to interact with other pet accounts," Veronica said. "But unexpectedly, it got a lot of positive feedback."

The internet also loves felines and by extension, cat influencers, including 3-year-old Chlowie, a Khao Manee cat based in Medan who has become a social media star with the handle @chlowiesemok.

Equally fierce: Cynthia Luriany says her white cat is adorably fierce. (Personal collection/Courtesy of Cynthia Luriany)

The account is run by her 32-year-old pawrent Cynthia Luriany, who has seen her feline companion’s followers rise to 374,000 on TikTok and 17,000 on Instagram, alongside 15,3000 YouTube subscribers.

"I have been posting [content on] my pet for almost two years,” said Cynthia, who added that her purpose for creating the account was purely “for entertainment”.

Lights, camera ... action?

The pawrents of these pet influencers revealed how they readied their pets for the camera, as animals are not natural posers, with very few notable exceptions.

Both Angela and Veronica are dog owners, so they sent their furry companions to training schools.

"Kaori went to a training school, although the school was more about basic obedience like 'sit’ [and] 'stay'. Kaori was quite naughty during training [because she] didn't like to be given orders. [When] I gave her a command, she would grumble a lot. The coach at the school laughed and looked puzzled," said Angela.

Veronica enrolled Duffy at a training school when he was 4 months old. "My initial goal was to shape his character and habits, but aside from that, I wanted to have a dog who was good at doing tricks because I knew that all poodles are smart," she said.

The training helped both Angela and Veronica determine what kinds of content they could create.

"For now, I'm actively sharing content on Instagram Reels to show Duffy's talent,” said Veronica.

“I must admit that making videos of dog tricks isn’t easy, since I need to be aware of the dog's mood and it takes good cooperation," she said, stressing the importance of the bond between the dog and its owner.

She also noted, “dogs also have moods like humans. So we, as their owner, must know how to handle the dog's mood".

"Usually, I create content during Duffy's active hours. So his mood is also good and the resulting video is also good. [...] Duffy looks happy, I don't have to force him and it's our playtime anyway," Veronica said.

Angela, on the other hand, focuses more on her dog's personality.

"Surprisingly, Kaori understands [when it's time to make content], so sometimes when I say, 'Kaori, let's go and make TikTok,' she immediately gets up to get ready,” she said.

Famous Alaskan: Angela routinely takes pictures and videos of her beloved Alaskan Malamute, Kaori, to her hundreds of thousands of followers. Courtesy of Angela Benita Budiman. (Personal collection/Courtesy of Angela Benita Budiman)

“I'm more into Kaori's randomness, nature and behavior for [creating] content, so it's rare for me to invite her to make TikTok. It's all about Kaori's natural behavior."

Meanwhile, Cynthia eschewed any training for her cat Chlowie.

"She is an animal, not a human that we can manage,” she stressed. “All the content I create is based on what she does. I just happen to be recording when a funny moment happens."

"As a pawrent, I have to be able to choose certain moments when creating content with a purpose, such as endorsements. But I also have to consider the cat’s mood and if she doesn't seem to be in the mood or enjoying it, I don't force it," she said.

Luckily, Chlowie is a vocal and expressive feline who paws, meows and swipes at Cynthia. "That's why many people are attracted to her. It's because of her adorable and natural behavior."

Easy likes

Pet influencers usually see rapid growth in followers, as they provide simple entertainment that is rarely controversial and appeals to nearly all viewers.

"In my opinion, people follow my account because they like dogs. It's because my content is all about Kaori and they want to see Kaori's cute behavior. What makes pet influencers attractive is their bond with their pawrents and the uniqueness of each pet," said Cynthia.

Azalea Ayu, a 25-year-old writer in Bandung who owns five cats, loves to watch these pet influencers’ content on Instagram. "I don't know,” she mused, “it's just fun to watch them. I also enjoy watching how pet owners take photos and videos of their pets."

Azalea is Muslim and rarely interacts with dogs for religious reasons, but she still enjoys watching content that feature dogs. "I love watching dog videos, but when I meet [dogs] in person, I’m still not [brave enough] to pet them directly. This is mostly because I'm afraid of being bitten," she said.

"Every time I see dogs, they always bark at me. But I really want to pet them because they're so adorable," she added.

It's all about the pet

Just like human influencers, pet influences get paid from endorsements and advertising deals.

Kaori has earned tens of millions of rupiah this year along from her YouTube channel. Most of the money is reinvested in her dog, says Angela.

"I use the income to give Kaori the best quality of life, such as her daily food, favorite foods and snacks, milk and toys, taking Kaori to the dog park, swimming, for grooming,” Angela spouted a list that also included supplements, vitamins and regular checkups. She also noted that salmon and salmon oil were particular favorites.

The same goes for the pawrents of the other pet influencers.

"I always put all my cat's needs first," said Cynthia.

All three pawrents said that their pets’ online communities were supportive, and none had encountered any hate or comments that accused them of exploiting their pets.

"For my family, Kaori is a part of us. My family even took a formal family photo with Kaori in it,” said Angela.

“And I think these days, dogs have evolved to become a part of the family [unit] and all pawrents just want to pamper their dogs and give them the best. These dogs have given us love and genuine loyalty [that is] priceless,” she said. “They are truly our best friends."

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