Liao Wentao, a pet undertaker, put the body of 2-year-old Garfield on a small bed surrounded by flowers. Then he let the cat's owner say a last goodbye before cremation (火化). "We send off 400 to 500 pets each year, and there's a great demand for pet funerals," he told China News.
Keeping pets has become a trend for young people in China and people are more than willing to pay for whatever their pets need. From 2019 to 2021, China's pet market grew by almost 18% and hit 348. 8 billion yuan in value in 2021, according to a report by iResearch Consulting Group.
As the pet economy develops, animal lovers' various needs have boosted the emergence and development of related businesses such as bathing, pet food, pet beauty and healthcare.
In addition to basic services, pet owners are increasingly paying for many new services, such as training, pet funerals, insurance, photography and entertainment. The growing pet market has also given birth to a large number of new pet-related jobs, noted CCTV News.
Liu Wei, 33, is a famous pet detective in Shanghai. He and his team work on finding families' lost pets. "We have successfully helped find more than 1,000 pets. Besides cats and dogs, there are other pets like birds, lizards and hamsters," Liu said. "In many big cities, cats and dogs have become an important part of many families and are taken good care of. So what we look for are not just pets, but family members. "
Apart from pet undertakers and detectives, some people work as pet food testers, pet sitters and pet trainers. According to Tu Di, secretary-general of the Hunan Pet Industry Association, the booming pet market shows people's improved living standards.
However, there are also problems with the industry, for example, the high fees of taking pets to the vet (兽医). Many pet owners have called for stricter pricing regulations for pet medical services, reported Global Times.
