Demand for pet sitters has grown in China’s big cities as the Spring Festival holiday approaches and many pet owners plan trips to their hometowns to reunite with their families. .
Pet service providers say the increase in interest is due to the high costs associated with transporting pets or housing them in kennels, as well as the emotional challenges animals face when removed from their familiar surroundings.
Freshippo, a supermarket operated by Alibaba Group, began providing pet feeding and dog walking services on January 12 in Shanghai. The services are specifically implemented to meet the needs of Spring Festival travelers.
Jan 12 is the first day Shanghai customers can book services, which will start on Feb 6 and end on Feb 17. The Spring Festival falls on Feb 10 this year.
Freshippo employees will contact pet owners before services begin to arrange for handing over house keys and discuss preparations, such as making sure pet food and water are left out in easy to find places.
Services include providing fresh water and food for pets, walking dogs and interacting with animals. Pet owners can observe services provided via video.
Most of the time slots for the services, which cost 98 yuan ($14) for 30 minutes, are already booked, according to Freshippo.
The number of pet cats and dogs living in urban areas in China reached over 58 million and 54.29 million, respectively, according to the 2021 China Pet Industry white paper. Data from British market research and analysis service provider Euromonitor International showed that China has more pet cats and dogs than any other country, surpassing the United States in 2018.
Many pet stores also received a large number of bookings and inquiries about pet care services during the Spring Festival holiday.
Pet Emoji, a pet store chain in Shanghai, said it has been providing such services for about three years, and demand usually peaks during the holiday season. It charges about 100 yuan for 30 minutes of service for homes within 3 kilometers of a store.
“Most of the pet owners who place orders for such services are our old friends who bring their pets to our stores for bathing and grooming. Our familiar workers in pets, so taking care of them in their homes will be better,” said Wu Rong, a manager of a Pet Emoji store in Changning district.
“Some pet owners, especially women, request that only workers of the same gender as the owners come to their homes, and we will meet their needs,” added he.
Lu Yiyi, who hired Pet Emoji to take care of her cats when she went on a business trip last November, said she will use the store’s services again during the Spring Festival holiday. He plans to return to his hometown – Wuhan, Hubei province – within a week.
“I will say that the service last time was unexpected. The worker was very careful. He took a video of the whole process when he was at my home and sent it to me. He was very gentle with my two cats. I saw him wash the dispenser of water for them,” said Lu, 36.
“He made sure all the windows were closed and my door key was put back in its designated place, and he sent me pictures when he left. He also threw out trash after cleaning the cat litter box and the floor,” he says.
Private pet care providers advertising their services on social media have also received a warm response.
Li Shan, a Shanghai resident, posted on Xiaohongshu that she was available to provide pet care services for animals left alone in Shanghai within an hour’s metro ride. The post received more than 160 comments, most of which were about people requesting his services.
In her post, Li said she has experience with cats and dogs, and has four cats of her own.
