America's love affair with its pets is creating a booming pet care industry - and, as a result, a small but expanding cluster of pet stocks.

Pet care might be bigger than you realize. Edge by Ascential, a market research firm, says that North American spending on pets hit $225 billion in 2018, and is expected to hit $281 billion by 2023 - roughly 5% compound annual growth. Millennials and Gen-Zers are embracing pet ownership in far greater numbers than previous generations; roughly two-thirds of U.S. households own a pet, up from 56% just 30 years ago.

Rising demand is fueling a diverse set of pet stocks - companies that provide everything from premium kibble to medications to even pet DNA testing and health insurance.

You can get some pet-related exposure among blue chips such as General Mills (GIS), which acquired all-natural pet-food leader Blue Buffalo for $8 billion in 2018. Aon (AON) boasts a top-rated pet insurance business in the form of subsidiary Healthy Paws; Synchrony Financial (SYF) bought a principal rival, Pet's Best, in 2019. However, pet care remains a small portion of their overall business.

Here, we look at nine of the best pure-play pet stocks to buy right now. This is a mix of high-growth newcomers and a few more established plays. We'll start with a couple of well-known blue chips before making our way to some under-the-radar names.

Zoetis

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Zoetis (, $137.89) - by far the largest of the pure-play pet stocks - develops, manufactures and commercializes a wide range of veterinary medicines, vaccines and diagnostic tools sold in more than 100 countries. It has been a leader in animal health for more than 65 years,); however, the drugmaker spun the company off in 2013.