Do you have a pet? Owning a pet is becoming very common(常见的) in China these days. And pet owners are now willing to spend more money on their pets than before.
According to a report from Goumin.com and Pet Fair Asia, Chinese people living in cities spent a total of 202.4 billion yuan on their pets in 2019. Most pet owners are people born after 1990. Most of them have high incomes and are well educated. Pet owners in China are spending more on pet food, clothing and furniture, according to report from Euro monitor International.
Miss Hou, 28, lives in the city of Chengdu. She spent 6,000 yuan on her two cats last year. I bought tinned cat food from the United States, New Zealand, Japan and Thailand, Hou said to Xinhua. If I have time, I also cook for them, she said.
An aging society and fewer people having children are among the main reasons for keeping pets, said Liu Xiaoxia, CEO of Goumin.com. Keeping pets has met the emotional(感情的) needs of many people. Almost 60 percent of pet owners see their animal friends as their own children, Liu said.
Beating loneliness might be another reason. Many young people are leaving their hometowns to make a living in big cities. They are suffering(忍受) from great loneliness and pressure, as they have few friends and face a high cost of living. Keeping pets will help them feel relaxed, the 2019 Chinese Pet Industry White Paper said.
