Pet lovers develop a passion for the exotic

Going viral

Unusual pets first went viral on social media and earned millions of followers. On video-sharing platform Douyin, the hashtag#call duck has nearly 1 billion views. One user called MiYa has documented his pet duck's life in short videos since it hatched. The videos have attracted more than 62,000 followers.

On instant-messaging platforms, some of the most popular emojis feature call ducks, piglets and shiba inu and husky dogs.

The animals capture people's hearts by appearing dumb and clumsy. For many people, watching animal-related videos is a way of relaxing, and the emergence of pet cafes helps realize their fantasies of closely interacting with animals they see so often on digital devices.

"I have watched so many emoticons and videos featuring little piglets. They just look so cute and fluffy," said Liu Wan, a Beijing resident who works in finance.

The 24-year-old said that until recently she had not had a close encounter with a pig, but she had been moved by some gifs－computer files used for sending images, especially moving ones, on the internet－of piglets. One day, she happened to watch a reality show in which the celebrities went to a piglet-themed cafe, and rushed to go herself.

"The piglets were bigger than I expected. Their bodies were really warm but their snouts were cool, and they lay on my lap very submissively," she said.

She added that she thought about buying one, but she knew her parents wouldn't approve. "I know I can't raise one at home so I rely on pet cafes to meet my needs. It requires lots of time and effort to take care of an animal and I also need to consider my family members' feelings," she said.

Self-employed Xiao Ou is a frequent visitor to Takara. The 30-year-old spotted the raccoons when she was passing one day and was immediately attracted, because Chinese people have heard so much about this North American species but have rarely seen one.

Xiao called for more pet cafes to open in Beijing. "There are so many people who want to have a pet but are unable to do so. The cafes suit the needs and wishes of this group," she said.

"In this place, you can get close to the cute little ones in a very comfortable way without having to worry about safety and hygiene－overall, it is an extremely comfortable experience."

Animal lovers say the pet stores and cafes have a secondary function, as they may change people's attitudes toward pets.

"These animals are actually not rare. But they have been served as food for so many years that people hardly see them as pets," Tian said, referring to the ducks, pigs and sheep in his store.