Shanghai’s first restaurant for pets Photo: IC
As the Spring Festival holidays approach, millions of people across China are preparing to reunite with their families to celebrate the nation’s most important festival.
However, this presents a pressing concern for pet owners who live far from their hometowns: what to do with their beloved animals this festive season?
Wang, a native of East China’s Anhui Province, who works in Beijing, has been pondering this question for some time, due to concerns about leaving her one-and-a-half-year-old cat unattended. while he was going home for vacation. .
During the National Day holidays, she installed cameras in the house, stocked up on cat food and water, and arranged for friends to check in regularly. “I felt sorry for him when I saw him lying in front of the camera,” Wang told the Global Times.
This Spring Festival, in addition to considering the previous arrangements, she also thought about pet care institutions but was worried about the limited space and about adjusting her cat to an unfamiliar environment.
Fortunately, he found out that a friend’s roommate would be staying in Beijing during the holidays and could take care of his cat.
Wang is just one of many pet owners who are faced with the dilemma of pet care this coming holiday. According to Petdata.cn, the number of pet dogs in China will reach 51.75 million in 2023, a 1.1 percent increase from last year, while the number of pet cats will reach 69.8 million, up 6.8 percent. The number of households with dogs and cats in China is expected to exceed 87 million.
Some, like Lan, choose to bring their pets home for the holidays. He flew with his family, including his kitten, to Southwest China’s Yunnan Province. Since not all airlines accept pet transport, he chose one particular airline, Hainan Airlines, which allows pets in the passenger cabin for 1,399 yuan ($184.58) per pet.
For those who cannot bring their pets home, pet hospitals or pet care institutions are another option. Liu spent 1,500 yuan ($211) to board her cat at a pet hospital in Beijing’s Chaoyang district, saying it was an affordable option due to early booking.
But the increase in demand for pet care services has been accompanied by an increase in prices. A rough comparison by Beijing Business Today found that pet boarding prices during this Spring Festival have increased by about 30 percent compared to regular rates, with an average of about 150 yuan per day, which varies according to the size of the pet and included services.
Some pet shops even offer vacation-style and hotel-style boarding, with prices reaching 1,299 yuan per day. Inside Beijing’s third ring road, one claims to be a five-star hotel for pets, offering various amenities such as a sunshine room for cats for around 899 yuan per day and VIP room for dogs at 1,299 yuan per day.
Some opt for home pet care services, which offer feeding, watering, litter cleaning, and companionship, with varying prices. Liu often hires caregivers who charge 200 yuan for an hour of service.
Despite growing demand, concerns remain about disputes arising from unsupervised pet care, including pet loss, illness, injury, and privacy violations. Moreover, prices and services are often determined by individual businesses based on market conditions.
Attorneys advise consumers to choose reputable pet care providers and establish written contracts to outline responsibilities. Providers of in-home pet care services may consider purchasing relevant insurance, such as liability and accident insurance, to minimize disputes.
