The pet care sector is a highly complex socio-ecological system that sits at the intersection of environment and animal welfare. Humanization has transformed the human-pet relationship beyond companionship into one that is subjected to a higher standard of care, blurring the lines between animal welfare and commodification. As new markets increasingly promote consumption by appealing to pet owners to ‘do what’s best’ through purchasing behaviors, climate shocks may threaten resource availability, making sustaining similar levels of care a future challenge to pet owners. This study aims to develop a systemic understanding of the pet care system in Malaysia, a middle-income country with a growing pet population and diverse cross-sector collaboration.