With the growth in all kinds of catteries over recent years, the prices of some famous cat breeds have gradually returned to a reasonable range due to the sharp increase in the number of kittens, thus making pet cats a more affordable choice for those who have just entered the job market, reported the Labour Daily.

Young people with a high income and high educational credentials are most likely to have a cat. Many post-90s people prefer raising cats to other pets, with the desire for companionship being the main reason for them to keep a cat.

Qi: Raising a cat gives me a sense of companionship

“When I had just graduated from my PhD studies and was engaged in scientific research in a university, I often worked overtime till late at night. I lived alone. So those days were tedious. Then one day, I happened to pass by a cattery and there was a newborn kitten squinting at me. I was attracted and paid the deposit immediately,” the post-90s generation Qi said, still vividily remembering the moment when he first met his cat.

Qi's cat is a Ragdoll with a white body, a gray and black face, and large blue eyes. In addition to the 30,000 yuan required to bring the pet home, he must spend nearly 800 yuan per month on cat food, snacks and nutrients. There will be additional costs for sterilization and medical treatment.

“My cat is like my family member. When I need some company, he often jumps onto my desk and strokes my hand with his nose and cheek, as if to remind me to have a rest.”

Zhou: Our cat is like our child

Zhou, a post-90s chip technology company worker, is also a cat lover. Shortly after his marriage, he raised a British shorthair cat with his wife. However, the process of raising a cat was not as simple as Zhou imagined. In addition to the 6,800 yuan spent on buying the cat, the newlyweds spent nearly 3,000 yuan on the cat in the first month. “It may seem expensive to others, but it's also fun…Every time I go out and arrive home from work, my cat will greet me at the door; every time I meet with difficulties in my work, I will find inspiration when playing with my cat,” Zhou said.

Due to his programming work’s flexibility, Zhou has lots of free time to cooperate with his wife in raising their cat. He feeds the cat in the morning, while his wife is responsible for cleaning it up after work. After dinner, they will play with the cat together.

Zhou enjoys a life of “two people and a cat”. “We don’t like children and we don’t want to raise children now, so it's nice to have a cat.” He also joined some WeChat groups set up by his company's cat owners. In their spare time, they sometimes send photos of their cats to the group to discuss cat-raising. Moreover, photos of his cat have become absolutely the main content on Zhou’s WeChat moments.

In Zhou’s opinion, the post-90s generation are under too much pressure. Raising a cat, compared with raising children, can release a lot of their pressure and burden. “If we want to have children in the future, our experience of keeping pets may also help,” Zhou added.

Huang: My life has become regular after I got a cat

Some people say that writers and cats are naturally well-matched. In their opinion, since writers often sit alone at their desks writing articles all day, cats are great pets to help form better living habits.

Huang, born in the 1990s, is a citizen journalism writer. After finishing her everyday work, she spends almost all her time serving her “master”: her cat. She believes that raising a cat not only gives her a regular life, but also teaches her how to take care of others.

It is common for citizen journalism people to have irregular lives. Many of them eat only one meal a day and turn day and night upside down. However, Huang changed her living habits after she raised her cat. “Since I’ve had a cat, I have to take care of its three meals and sleep, so my life has become regular.”

According to Huang, in order to take good care of a cat, both high-quality food and an ideal living environment are needed. “Usually, I dim the lights in my house because cats don’t like strong lights. Besides, I’ll raise the temperature of the thermostat because most domestic cats prefer to live in a room where the temperature is above 29 degrees Celsius. Then, the decibel meter is used to detect and ensure that the noise from the household appliances doesn’t make the cat feel uncomfortable. Finally, odors should be removed from industrial compounds, including alcohol, cigarettes, chemical detergents and perfumes.”