Pet funeral services giving succor to owners

From engraved paw prints to farewell ceremonies, a growing number of Chinese pet owners are seeking meaningful ways to say goodbye to their companions.

By June, China had more than 8,000 registered enterprises engaged in pet funeral services, with nearly 70 percent of these established within the past three years, according to business data platform Qichacha.

This is a reflection of the fact that for many owners, pets are no longer just animals but family members.

A research report on China's pet funeral market (2022-29) released by marketplace data provider Insight and Info found that over 80 percent of Chinese pet owners now regard their pets as family.

"I used to think holding a funeral for pets was unnecessary when I saw such stories online," said a Beijing-based pet owner surnamed Guo. "But after raising two cats myself, I realized that rituals are not about showing others — it's about giving your own heart a place to rest. Because to me, they are family."

The emotional attachment has directly shaped consumer demand — when pets pass away, 60.4 percent of owners would like to choose a farewell service, while 56.3 percent emphasize appearance preservation, according to a 2024 China pet care white paper published by the Western Institute of Pet Life Science.

Generally, most pet funeral services start with basic cleaning and cremation, typically priced according to the animal's size and weight. Additional offerings often include urns, paw-print keepsakes, portraits, or sculptures.

For example, at Theta Land, a Beijing-based pet aftercare services provider, the average cost ranges from 1,500 yuan ($209) to 2,000 yuan, including farewell rituals, grooming, and cremation, with final rates adjusted by pet weight, said Li Lixin, founder of the company.

As a Taiwan resident now settled in Beijing, Li said she often went back for training during the early days of her business, as the pet aftercare industry there had developed earlier than the Chinese mainland.

"I wanted to bring that experience back to the mainland," she explained.

"The Chinese people, myself included, often avoid talking much about death because of fear or taboo," Li said. "Pet aftercare services have helped me learn how to face death and handle it. I believe that when you truly understand something, you no longer fear it."

Li believes that the domestic market remains in its early stages, with both service quality and consumer awareness still developing. "Once acceptance broadens, the niche sector will unlock enormous potential for the next three to five years," she said.

With rising pet ownership and growing demand for diverse services, the pet funeral market is expected to reach 5 billion yuan in 2025 and surpass 10 billion yuan by the end of 2030, making it one of the fastest-growing segments of the pet industry, according to a report by market information platform ChinaIRN.

Alongside market expansion, standardization has also gained momentum. The launch meeting for the drafting of professional skill evaluation standards for pet funeral specialists, organized by the vocational skill appraisal and guidance center of the All China Federation of Supply and Marketing Cooperatives, was held in Beijing in June.

"The meeting marked a solid and crucial step toward professionalization and standardization in China's pet funeral service industry," said Liang Shengming, an official from the center.

Industry experts also emphasized the need to strengthen regulations, suggesting that the pet aftercare industry should adopt environmentally responsible practices and establish clear governance mechanisms across multiple authorities.