Experts call for stricter regulation of nation's booming pet economy

The sector's growth has been accompanied by problems such as the abuse and abandonment of animals, as Luan Xiang reports for Xinhua China Features.

Owning one or several pets has become an increasingly popular lifestyle choice in China, as well as a driving force in consumption.

Yet the boom in pet ownership has also produced problems - such as the abuse and abandonment of animals, and the variable quality of pet supplies - which can only be tackled by regulations that would allow people and animals to live in harmony, according to He Hairen, a legal studies researcher at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

On June 2, an event held to celebrate the 58th Beijing Pet Adoption Day attracted celebrities, animal lovers, veterinarians, owners of pet supplies businesses and even stray cats and dogs that had been rescued.

"We provide online and offline platforms where healthy, friendly and well-trained 'rescues' are introduced to families who are ready to keep a pet," said Yang Yang, co-founder and chief executive of a nonprofit charity called Adoption Day.

Founded in 2011, the platform has expanded into more than 40 first-and second-tier cities.

A review of the number of pet registration licenses in Beijing suggests that more than 1 million households in the capital own at least one pet dog, according to the Capital Animal Welfare Association.

An equal number of families - if not more - are likely to keep cats because no license is required to keep them, said Qin Xiaona, the association's president.

For those who don't keep pets, "cloud cat-sniffing" has become increasingly popular on social networks.

Wang Zhengjun, a PhD candidate at Northeastern University in Shenyang, Liaoning province, is known as a "pet-less pet blogger" on Sina Weibo. He creates funny memes and stories about cats owned by other pet bloggers.

"I love cats, but I don't have any yet because I don't have a job or own an apartment, which means I am not capable of offering an animal a comfortable life," he said.

"I 'sniff' other people's adorable cats online," he added. "Cloud cat-sniffing is a great method of relieving stress and a kind of community activity. I collect items with images of cats on them, watch movies and documentaries about cats, and read books on how to be a good cat carer," he said.

Last year, more than 8 billion yuan ($1.2 billion) was spent on cat-related merchandise on Taobao, one of China's leading e-commerce marketplaces, which is operated by Alibaba Group.