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Hi readers,
This week, we’re taking a look at another major overseas cat market: China. Not only does its urban residents have a preference for cats, China is also the world’s biggest internet market with a whopping 1.12 billion users.
The result: highly innovative marketing strategies for feline products. Unlike in Western markets like the USA and UK, feline brands in China lean heavily on livestreaming to market their products.
Chinese livestreaming is also amazingly intense: think 24/7 livestreams, an eye-watering amount of flashing, multi-colour banners and popups, and tens of thousands of viewers commenting and placing orders.
And don’t forget the gimmicks. Earlier this month, one streamer tried to demonstrate how ‘clean’ her cat food brand was… by eating it straight from the can.
It’s unclear whether this helped boost sales. (From what we can tell, all it did was prove that it didn’t cause immediate gastrointestinal distress).
We’d love to know: Would seeing real live cats interacting with food/products make you more likely to purchase?
In the news
🐱 FDA issues Emergency Use Authorization for Credelio CAT for the treatment of New World screwworm in cats
Myth: Pet insurance doesn’t cover everything
Many pet owners worry that insurance won’t cover everything, especially routine care or pre-existing conditions. While that’s true in many cases, most insurers now offer wellness add-ons for preventive care like vaccines, dental cleanings, and check-ups, giving you more complete coverage. View Money’s pet insurance list to find plans for as low as $10 a month.
How livestreaming is rewriting cat brand marketing in China
A livestream by top cat influencer, Deng Feng.
What do you get when you combine China, the world’s largest internet (and ecommerce) market, with surging rates of cat ownership?
You get next-level marketing for feline brands.
China is arguably the world’s most advanced livestreaming market. Major players include:
Douyin, China’s version of TikTok, where feline products are sold in real time to millions of pet parents; and
Tmall, an online marketplace for brands which uses livestreaming as a key part of its ecommerce strategy.
Cat brands are flourishing on both platforms. Livestreams by Chinese brands such as Pure & Natural, Crazy Cat, and Wanpy show real cats eating, playing or being pampered in real time, as hosts explain nutritional benefits or product details.
Influencers are a major growth driver, often showcasing their own cats and brands. Viewers can ask questions in real time, get immediate answers, and click to buy without leaving the livestream.
As with other Asia-based trends (see our issue on Hong Kong’s feline wellness boom), livestreaming is likely a preview of what’s to come in Western pet markets.
China’s livestreaming space is years ahead
“Our formula is so clean you could eat it yourself,” demonstrated one cat food brand seller (Source: Jimu News)
Livestream commerce has become a cultural phenomenon in China, and is significantly more advanced than in Western markets. So far, TikTok Shop and Instagram Live have been experimenting with livestream shopping in English-speaking markets, but their scale and integration have a long way to catch up.
Some revealing figures:
China’s internet market is the largest in the world with over 1.12 billion users, representing a 79.7% penetration rate (as of mid-2025).
The USA is the world’s third-largest internet market: As of 2024, there were more than 322 million internet users, or approximately 94% of the adult population.
Cat popularity: In China, the urban pet cat population (71.53 million) is larger than the pet dog population (52.58 million). In 2024, the cat market's value surged by 10.7% compared to 4.6% for dogs.
Meanwhile, pets are one of Douyin’s fastest-growing e-commerce categories, alongside beauty and fashion. Over on Tmall, the pet category is now one of the platform’s top performers during shopping festivals like Double 11 (Singles’ Day), with cats driving much of that engagement.
These kinds of numbers lead to serious sales:
One top pet influencer on Tmall is Deng Feng, whose livestreams with his cats typically attract 20,000 to 30,000 viewers. While this may not seem huge, translation into sales is substantial. During a livestream last month, Deng averaged 21,700 online viewers and sold over 30,000 items.
Major pet brands also profit: During Tmall’s Double 11 shopping festival, 18 brands including Fleigat, Royal Canin, Advantage, and Xu Cuihua, achieved sales exceeding RMB 10 million (US$1.4 million) in the first hour, according to consulting firm Jiuqian.
Domestic brands profit most: Homegrown Chinese brands made up 68% of pet-related sales on the first day. Toptrees baked cat food sales surged by 170%, and cat litter brand Xu Cuihua exceeded its entire Double 11 sales from the previous year in just one minute of pre-sales.
Livestreaming in China is highly interactive. During one Douyin stream earlier this year, Crazy Cat’s host fed different formulas to three cats, while viewers voted on which flavour the cats would prefer. The winning product sold out within the hour.
In another livestream, one streamer actually took a bite of the cat food she was selling, straight out of the can. This caused some concern among the audience for the streamer’s wellbeing. Comments included:
“Can humans actually eat it??”
“People won't order just because someone has tried it.”
“She looks like she’s having a rough time eating it.”
When contacted by a local reporter, the brand owner admitted: “The cat food isn’t recommended for human consumption … It definitely tastes a bit fishy.”
One commenter sniffed: “I suggest you show more concern for your employees’ feelings.”
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The bottom line
Feline livestream marketing in Western markets is still years behind China.
While TikTok Shop is expanding, livestream commerce still lags in terms of uptake and consumer trust. Livestreams still focus primarily on entertainment rather than commerce.
Some pet brands do use TikTok (e.g. PrettyLitter, Catit) for influencer marketing, but customers are often sent to external stores rather than in-stream purchasing.
The numbers bear this out.
What this means
In terms of scale: The proportion of USA and UK-based brands using livestreaming as a commercial tool is likely to increase. For example, TikTok Shop saw a 165% increase year on year in shoppers over Black Friday and Cyber Monday weekend in 2024, driven by livestreaming.
Format: Influencers in the USA and UK are unlikely to adopt the typically frenetic, 24/7 pace of Chinese brands and opt instead for a less cluttered format.
Foreign brands in China: Major western brands with a presence in China, such as Royal Canin and Purina, are already using livestreaming to sell to Chinese consumers. This is set to increase, with cat food as a major focus.
Meet China’s Catfluencers
Meet three top feline influencers in China. Not only do they move the merchandise, they’re adored by millions.
Erdou’s Douyin page.
Erdou, a Scottish Fold, is one of the top animal influencers on Douyin.
Followers: 33.9 million.
Paofu’s Douyin page.
Paofu is an American Shorthair.
Followers: 21.1 million.
Liao Li Mao Wang (“Cooking Cat King”)
Cooking Cat King’s Douyin page.
Listed as one of Douyin’s top pet influencers in 2023/2024.
Followers: 19.6 million.
Thanks for reading! Here's a friendly feline face for you. 😺
P.S. We’re always interested in what you think! Is there anything in particular you’d like to share?
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*Correction: In our issue on Nov. 18, there was a typo in our link to the following news headline: “Joey Luthman completes 4000-mile OneWheel journey across the USA to raise money for feline health.” We mistakenly had this as 400 miles, not 4,000. Apologies for the error.