A cat sits next to a photo frame at a pet boarding house in Beijing. [Photo/China Daily]
The first thing Lu Yan did after returning to Beijing last weekend from a two-week Spring Festival visit to his hometown was to pick up his “furry baby” and take the cat back to his apartment.
He put his 3-year-old cat, a British shorthair breed with white and gray fur, in a pet hotel before he left for Zibo in East China’s Shandong province.
“Usually, I arrange pet boarding for my cat if I have to leave Beijing for a long business trip or vacation,” said Lu, who works at a publishing house.
If he has to leave Beijing for just a few days, someone comes to him at least twice a day to check on his cat friend. “It’s less busy this way, but for any absence longer than that I would definitely opt for a ride service,” Lu said.
She spent about 2,000 yuan ($278) during the Spring Festival to take care of her cat — named “Seventeen” after Lu’s birth date — while she was away. Lu is glad that there is someone at the pet hotel at all times to monitor the cat’s condition, make sure it is safe, and play with it so it doesn’t get bored.
Lu has a membership to a hotel company and always books her cat a larger room for two cats, which costs twice as much as a single room, so her pet has more space.
He was concerned that the cat would be home alone, and would not receive quick medical attention if it became ill.
Lu, who is in his 40s, adopted a cat for the company in 2021 when pandemic control measures meant people’s movements were restricted.
The Spring Festival is a difficult time for pet owners like Lu who must find someone they trust to take care of their animals.
The number of pets in China is expected to increase to nearly 200 million by 2023, with dogs, cats and aquarium pets being the most popular, according to the 2023 China Pet Industry Annual Report jointly released by market researcher Euromonitor International and the Asia Pet Alliance.
The pet market is estimated to reach nearly 250 billion yuan in the same year, with pet services and related sectors continuing to grow, the report said.
A view of the cat boarding rooms at the Maotuotuo Hotel in Fangzhuang, Beijing. [Photo/China Daily]
Filling a kitten
Compared to pets like lizards and fish, which can live in smaller spaces and require little daily interaction, cats and dogs are more active and require care, including and place to exercise, all of which contributed to the rapid rise of pet care services.
Pet boarding services are in high demand as more pet owners are willing to dig deep into their pockets for a quality environment for their furry companions.
According to corporate information provider Qichacha, more than 2,000 pet boarding businesses have opened in the past three years.
Some pet services also offer to monitor the animals’ health status and allow them to roam and exercise daily, which eases the anxiety of some overprotective owners.
Wang Can, who heads operations at the Maotuotuo Hotel in Fangzhuang neighborhood, Fengtai district, Beijing, said their pet accommodation is fully booked three months before the Spring Festival.
His company has five areas exclusively for cats. Fangzhuang has 29 rooms of three different sizes, with daily accommodation prices for one cat ranging from 39 to 179 yuan.
“We are located in a quiet neighborhood away from the hustle and bustle of the street, and all the rooms are separate and offer wooden furniture and DOAS (dedicated outdoor air system),” said Wang, who admitted that their target clients were not penny-pinchers.
The other four facilities, located in busy business hubs or densely populated residential areas, are also fully booked during the Spring Festival.
“Most customers sign up for membership and often seek our services when they need to leave home,” Wang said.
“They can only leave their cats alone for two to three days, and consider them at risk if it lasts longer,” she added.
Many owners have a deep emotional bond with their pets and some check around the clock at the hotel for their cat’s welfare, Wang said.
In addition to regularly feeding the cats, giving them water and cleaning up their cat litter, employees play with them four times a day. If the cat has a health emergency, hotel staff must respond within 20 minutes, even if it’s in the middle of the night.
Pet owners can also use their smartphones to check on their pets at the hotel and can request for extra snacks and special dietary needs, Wang said.
The hotel has more than 1,000 members, most of whom were born in the 1980s and 1990s. Wang stressed that cats must have all the necessary vaccination certificates, be in good health, and be recently dewormed to be accepted at their pet hotels. “This is to reduce the risk of it (the pet) getting sick,” Wang said.
A caretaker at a pet hotel tied a red scarf to a puppy on Feb 9. [YANG HUAFENG/CHINA NEWS SERVICE]
House calls
For customers unable to book a room, Maotuotuo Hotel also offers house calls to check on pets. On one day during the Spring Festival, they received more than 30 house call requests.
“We send a message to clients as soon as we leave for their home and record everything from the moment we open the door,” Wang said.
The service includes opening windows for fresh air, cleaning the cat’s habitat as well as a health report on the cat’s condition.
“We also have an AR (augmented reality) service if a client’s home does not have a surveillance camera to effectively carry out real-time communications,” Wang said, adding that the main goal is to ensure the safety of the customer’s home.
The cost of pet boarding services in big cities ranges from tens of yuan to more than 100 yuan per day, depending on factors such as room quality, pet size and additional services.
Lu Yan’s cat was seen wearing a tiger-shaped hat after taking a bath. [Photo/China Daily]
Prices typically rise by about 50 percent during major holidays such as the Spring Festival, said Kong Lingqi, who runs a pet grooming business in Tongzhou district in eastern Beijing.
“We received phone inquiries about boarding or home services a month before the Spring Festival,” Kong said.
Most of the questioners are regular customers of Kong’s store.
Hong Tao, vice-chairman of the China Consumer Economics Society, said that pet-related consumption is a modern consumer phenomenon. Strong demand for pet boarding during the Spring Festival is inevitable and businesses incur costs in providing services and must set prices based on supply and demand.
Pet keeper Gan Shimeng (right) gives information about cats on Feb 3 at Liangjiang New Area in Chongqing. [ZHOU YI/CHINA NEWS SERVICE]
Regulations are required
The pet industry needs to be further regulated and establish industry standards to promote its sustainable development, Hong said. Related businesses also need to continuously improve the quality of services to reflect the prices they charge, he said.
Wang Jiankun, a senior partner at Shanghai Hush Law Firm, said the pet boarding business is a civil contractual relationship between pet owners and caretakers.
Pet sitters, as providers of boarding services, must fulfill their obligations of proper care and custody.
He said that as consumers, pet owners should carefully choose boarding services with proper qualifications that can provide suitable accommodations and facilities.
It is advisable to sign a written agreement, specifying responsibility for any problems during boarding, Wang added. In the event of an accident, compensation must be made according to the agreement.
For many migrant workers in big cities, bringing their pets home for Chinese New Year is often not an option due to restrictions on public transportation of animals.
Although there are pet transport services, there is also the possibility of accidents, said Dong Wei, a senior veterinarian at a pet clinic in Beijing’s Haidian district.
“This is especially true for cats, who are generally shy and likely to suffer a distressing response,” Dong said.
Lu spent 2,000 yuan ($278) to take her cat, pictured, on holiday. [Photo/China Daily]
He recommends that owners who have to leave the house for long periods of time board their pets.
“They can be under observation, so any diseases can be detected and intervention made in time,” said Dong.
“However, pets should be properly vaccinated and have active antibodies for common diseases before they are placed in a communal living environment,” he added.
For owners who have to leave their pets at home, Dong suggested they set up a surveillance camera to monitor their behavior and deal with any emergency.
“Enough space should be available for them at home, and enough food and water should be prepared and within reach of the pet, along with some toys,” he said.
House calls by friends or professional care should be arranged, especially for dogs, at least twice a day, Dong added.
(Web editor: Tian Yi, Liang Jun)
