Refer China: Shanghai Pet-Care Professional Earns 160K from Cat-Feeding Over Spring Festival

A Shanghai-based professional earned 160,000 yuan from 2,000+ cat-feeding orders over the Spring Festival holiday. Each 10-15 minute home visit includes cleaning, feeding, and health checks for 60-200 yuan, with no price increase in 9 years. Highlights growing demand for holiday pet care.

Tags:

Shanghai

Pet Care Services

Cat Feeding

Spring Festival Holiday

Home Visit Service

A young Chinese man who offered cat-feeding services during the Spring Festival has reported earning 160,000 yuan (US$23,000) over the holiday period, highlighting the growing demand for professional pet-care services in China.

Huan Cong with just two of the many cats he has looked after during the holiday period. Photo: Baidu

Huan Cong, born in 1991 and based in Shanghai, is a pet-care professional who has specialized in door-to-door cat-feeding services for nine years.

Among the array of services on offer is a healthy dose of playing time. Photo: Baidu

During this year's Spring Festival, he and four employees stayed in Shanghai to care for pets whose owners had traveled away for the holiday.

Over more than 20 days before and after the festival, his team completed around 2,000 home-visit cat-feeding orders, with Huan himself handling about 1,000 of them.

More than 80 percent of the orders came from clients returning to their hometowns, while about 10 percent were from people traveling during off-peak periods. Many customers have used his services year after year.

During the holiday season, Huan leaves home at 3 am every day and works until 10 or even 11 pm, averaging only three to four hours of sleep each night. On his busiest day, he completed as many as 55 orders.

Each visit lasts 10 to 15 minutes and includes cleaning litter boxes, refilling food and water, checking the cat's health, inspecting windows and electrical appliances, and taking out the trash. Additional services, such as administering medication or trimming nails, are provided free of charge as long as the requests are reasonable.

In terms of pricing, he has consistently maintained mid-to-high-end rates: 60 to 80 yuan (US$9 to US$12) per visit in Jiading District, 100 yuan in other areas of Shanghai, and 200 yuan for long distances or households with multiple cats. Notably, he has not raised his prices in nine years.

Huan said that compared to when he first entered the industry, demand for his services has multiplied significantly. "Last Spring Festival, we served 270 households, but this year the number has increased to 320 households, an 18 percent rise," he said. "By the end of the holiday, we expect growth of around 25 percent, with revenue from cat-feeding services alone estimated to reach 160,000 yuan."

The service has resonated widely on mainland social media. One netizen commented: "Yesterday, my wife also hired a door-to-door cat-sitting service. The sitter kept the video running the whole time and was responsible for feeding the cat and cleaning the litter box. During the Spring Festival period, this home visit really gave us great peace of mind."

Another added: "When dealing with sensitive or timid cats, sitters also have to take on risks related to the pet's health and the safety of the household's property. Earning money during the holiday season like this is truly hard-earned."