'Snack money' and 'cat resumes': China's pets are joining the workforce and getting paid!

In a unique trend, pet owners in China are putting their cats and dogs to “work” at cafes, where they roam among patrons before returning home at night.

These part-time “pet employees” are becoming a fixture in China’s booming pet cafe industry, where people pay to interact with animals while enjoying a coffee, CNN reported.

For 27-year-old PhD student Jane Xue, sending her 2-year-old Samoyed, OK, to work at a Fuzhou dog cafe seemed like the perfect solution. “It’s like sending a child to school,” Xue said, noting that OK gets the chance to play and interact with other dogs, while Xue and her partner save on air conditioning costs.

In China, pet cafes are booming as locals embrace “Zhengmaotiaoqian,” or “earning snack money,” where pets “work” and are compensated in treats or food.

With China expected to have more pets than toddlers by the end of 2023, demand for animal companionship is growing.

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According to Goldman Sachs, China’s pet population could soon outnumber young children, spurring pet owners and cafe owners alike to post recruitment ads and pet resumes on Xiaohongshu, a social platform similar to Instagram.

Some animals are even vying for jobs. Beijing resident Xin Xin, a teacher, has been seeking a job for her tuxedo cat, Zhang Bu’er. She shared Zhang’s resume online, touting his “clinginess and purring skills.” “I thought (cat cafe) owners would reach out to me – now it looks like I need to take the initiative and send the (cat’s) resume out,” she said.

The trend is lighthearted but reflects a shifting dynamic in China’s pet culture. Some cafe owners offer “salary” packages of snacks and discounts, as a humorous post from a cat cafe owner suggested: “Our gray-and-white cat Datou got five cans of cat food—after taxes.”

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Xue discovered the idea from a Xiaohongshu post, eventually finding a Fuzhou cafe for OK, who passed the interview with flying colors. “My OK is the star of the cafe!” Xue beamed, watching her pet enjoy her newfound role as a social, furry ambassador.