Pet New Year’s Eve feast gains popularity in China as owners celebrate with lavish dinners for their fluffy companions

New Year's snack boxes for pets displayed on January 21, 2025 at Marsmart Pets, a pet store in Beijing. (Feng Fan/GT)

As the Spring Festival approaches, pet owners in China are embracing a growing trend: extravagant New Year's Eve feasts for their furry companions. They are increasingly spending on special gourmet meals for their pets, ranging from limited-edition snake-themed snack boxes to elaborate ten-course meals.

In Beijing, some stores are introducing exclusive Chinese New Year's Eve dining packages for pets. StarPets, located in the Chaoyang district, is offering a 10-course gourmet meal that includes two appetizers, four main courses made with lamb chops, salmon, abalone and other premium ingredients, as well as soup, two staple dishes and desserts.

"This year's Chinese New Year feast has been extremely popular, receiving over 90 orders so far," a staff member from StarPets told Global Times on Tuesday. "Each meal is freshly prepared upon order placement, and then delivered to the owners via fresh food delivery services."

The gourmet pet feast costs 288 yuan ($41), additionally, the store provides a limited-edition snake-year snack box priced at 88 yuan, which includes dairy-based treats shaped like candies and desserts.

Another Beijing-based pet store, Marsmart Pets, has also launched a similar range of pet gifts for the Chinese New Year. A staff member shared with the Global Times that their New Year's snack boxes, priced at 159 yuan, sold out quickly. The store has since released a second batch of 100 limited-edition snack boxes.

This surge in sales of pet spring festival gifts is drawing considerable attention in China's booming pet market. "For many customers, the holiday ritual is the main reason they buy these special pet gifts," said Li, a staff member at The Paw, another store offering Chinese New Year's Eve feast for pets. "Customers often treat their pets as family members, so they are willing to spend on the pet feasts to create a festive atmosphere."

The contents of the gift boxes include both festive-themed items and practical pet treats and accessories, which customers find highly appealing, Li said. The store also gifts loyal customers with Chinese New Year gift boxes.

Online platforms are also seeing a growing demand for these special pet meals and gift boxes. On JD.com, sales of individual pet Chinese New Year's meals have surpassed 500 units, while some gift boxes have sold more than 5,000 units.

China's pet consumption market is experiencing a boom. According to the China Pet Industry Association, the country's pet market surpassed 300 billion yuan in 2024. Among pet categories, the dog market reached 155.7 billion yuan, up 4.6 percent year-on-year, while the cat market expanded by 10.7 percent, reaching 144.5 billion yuan.