A Growing Market for Cat Lovers For more than 2,000 years, Chinese people have expressed their love for cats in classic texts, poems and paintings.
Indeed, many Chinese cat lovers emphasize how cats are like people, though I would say it's the opposite: Modern people are like cats in the way they pursue individuality and reject control from above. If we take this thinking one step further, we come to the third main appeal of cats: their “heroic” side.
They were beloved companions for the nobility and a practical means of pest control for the ordinary folk. In fact, Chinese farmers worshipped a cat deity, Li Shou. She was a fertility goddess who protected crops from rats and drove away evil spirits.
Furthermore, China's people hold a profound and superior respect for cats in their history and culture. The Chinese cat god is often referred to in China's prehistoric Book of Rites. The cat god, known as Li Shou, protected the Chinese families and crops that were the only means to feed people and sustain life.
In 2022, cats remained the most popular pets among urban Chinese residents. Around 65.4 million cats were kept as pets in urban households in China in that year, compared with 51.2 million dogs.
Since then, the royal grounds have become the Hermitage Museum, and though Russia no longer has queens, cats still reign supreme, both at the museum and in the people's hearts. A recent study of cat ownership in 52 countries found that Russians love cats more than anyone on the planet.
It's official: Felines have overtaken their canine counterpart to become urban China's favorite pet. A new report released Tuesday by Pethadoop, a platform specializing in China's pet industry, said cats accounted for 59.5% of all the pets among the 30,000 respondents surveyed for the research.
The animal most closely associated with China, the giant panda, is also its official national animal. Native to south-central China, the giant panda is a folivore, meaning that it subsists almost exclusively on leaves.
In gratitude, the cat sat in the front of the store beckoning customers, thus bringing prosperity as a reward to the charitable proprietor. Ever after, the "beckoning cat" has been a symbol of good luck for small business owners.
Ancient Egyptians worshipped many animals for thousands of years. Animals were revered for different reasons. Dogs were valued for their ability to protect and hunt, but cats were thought to be the most special. Egyptians believed cats were magical creatures, capable of bringing good luck to the people who housed them.
It's probably no surprise to anyone that cats meow the same in China as they do everywhere else – the onomatopoeia for their sweet siren call is miāo 喵.
In Japanese folklore, cats are the symbols of good luck and are said to have protective powers.
In many Asian countries, such as China and Japan, black cats are not only considered good luck, but may also attract wealth. That's why you'll see many black Maneki Nekos, which are believed to ward off evil spirits and bring good fortune, in Chinese or Japanese restaurants and grocery stores. That's double the luck.
Cats have a long history of being considered lucky animals in East Asian folklore. They are associated with bringing good business and fortune to people.
The Japanese are known for loving cats. There are countless Japanese books, shows, and art that depict our feline friends. Japan even has a ton of cat cafes, which are coffee shops where cats freely roam around for customers to play with.
Millions of stray dogs and cats live on China's streets. Some are abandoned pets, left to fend for themselves after being dumped by their owners. Many are strays born on the streets.
In ancient China, cats were considered sacred animals that could ward off evil spirits and disasters. Their long lifespans further augmented their spiritual significance, making them symbols of longevity and good luck. This reverence for cats made them one of the most beloved pets in traditional Chinese culture.
Cats are in conflict with the Rat. Legends relating to the order of the Chinese zodiac often include stories as to why the cat was not included among the twelve.
In Japanese folklore, cats have protective powers and symbolize good luck and fortune. No example of this is more clear than the story of the maneki-neko. As the story goes, centuries ago, a feudal lord was standing under a tree when he noticed a cat waving at him with his paw.
These four creatures are also referred to by a variety of other names, including "Four Guardians", "Four Gods", and "Four Auspicious Beasts". They are the Azure Dragon of the East, the Vermilion Bird of the South, the White Tiger of the West, and the Black Tortoise (also called "Black Warrior") of the North.
The red panda
These cute creatures live in the Himalayan Mountains of Southwestern China and other high mountains. They spend most of their time in the trees. They use their long bushy tails for balance while climbing. They also curl up with it for the winter.
Dogs are the most popular pet, with almost half of Australian households keeping at least one dog (48% in 2022, up from 40% in 2019).
The eponymous Dragon Li is thought in China to be a natural self-domesticating breed by way of a wildcat subspecies, the Chinese mountain cat (Felis silvestris bieti).
It is unsurprising then, that mandarin ducks have long been used as a symbol of fidelity and marital happiness and affection in Chinese art, as well as in the art of other East Asian countries.