From the People's Daily app.

And this is Story in the Story.

A recent report estimates that 99 million Chinese families had pets in 2018, up from 70 million families five years ago.

Increasingly, wealthy Chinese consumers are looking not just for a place for their pets to be housed, but for services that can make their pets' life more enjoyable during Spring Festival.

About 40 percent of pet owners have paid for pet boarding services. Among all pet owners, about 40 percent are single, and 25 percent of pet owners go on at least one business trip per month.

The market for pet products and services reached $25 billion in 2018, more than three times from 2013. The market is estimated to reach $70 billion by 2023.

Meanwhile, China's first-tier cities have already seen average prices for pet boarding services increase by nearly 50 percent for the Spring Festival season. 

Today's Story in the Story looks at pet hotels and how Chinese domestic pet owners make sure their dogs or cats are well taken care of when they go out of town.

An employee of a pet hotel takes care of dogs in Guangzhou, Guangdong province. (Photo: China News Service)  

Liu Ronghuan has no problem paying $750 for her cat to spend seven days in a luxurious pet hotel, while she leaves Beijing for a family reunion during China's traditional Spring Festival.

The 35-year old college teacher seems quite satisfied with the deal.

"Almost all the kennels for pets during the holiday in Beijing are booked out right now, as a majority of pet owners are leaving the city and are looking for a place to take care of their furry babies. I'm happy to finally find a decent place for my cat to stay, after two weeks on the waiting list."

Even though the kennel costs about the same as a three-star hotel room per night, Liu said it is worth it, since the one she has chosen offers massages, beauty salons, and portrait photography.

"Come on, Spring Festival is a family time and I want my furry little family member to have a good experience, even if he is not by my side."

The consumer spending season for pet boarding and other services is reaching new consumer heights, as middle-income families spoil their furry family members.

 A rising number of pet boarding service centers offer rooms with beds and slides, a playground with toys, and beauty services including grooming and bathing.

This market is huge, said Neil Wang, president of consulting firm Frost & Sullivan China.

Wang also revealed there is a rising number of households that have seen a steep increase in their spending on pet boarding services, driven by families who are finding more ways to make their pets' life fancier.

Such services are becoming more common to people like Liu, who earn decent money from a good job, are single, and are free from the pressure of raising a child.

Pet groomers shave dogs' fur during a competition in Shanghai in May. (Photo: IC)

However, for many who are in their early 20s and still struggling with food and housing costs, the story might be different.

Cao Ying, a 24-year old Beijing-based actress, has a less stable income. Cao said she has been anxious for weeks, worrying about finding someone to take care of her 2-year-old Pomeranian.

"Those fancy services are not attractive to me. They are just ... not that useful. I mean, can you really tell if a dog is happy because someone is taking photos for him? I'm just looking for a place, or someone who can feed my dog on time, walk him every day, and just take good care of him," she said.

An assistant from the Olympic Village branch of Beijing-based chain Loving Care International Pet Hospital, which also provides pet boarding services, said the price hikes are justified, as their employees are sacrificing time away from their own families during Spring Festival, the most important holiday of the year. 

"We charge cat owners about $25 dollars per night per boarding kennel during Spring Festival, but normally the price would be about $15 dollars," she said, adding that costs vary per breed.

"All of our rooms were booked out a month ago," she said. "The situation is quite similar to other service providers."

Cao finally found a service she liked from a pet boarding service app called Viptail.  The app is a platform for pet hosting families and for those who can take care of someone else's pet in their own home. It has been described as an AirBnB for pets.

"I found a family who wants to take care of my dog and charges less than $9 dollars a day. After I talked to the family and visited their home, they seemed pretty nice and I decided to trust them," Cao said.

Aside from third-party pet boarding providers, there are also drop-in services, where a person will take care of a pet at the owner's home.

"The industry will see more innovative and customized services to meet consumers' growing demand," Wang said.

(Produced by Nancy Yan Xu, Lance Crayon, Brian Lowe, and Da Hang. Music by: bensound.com. Text from China Daily and Global Times.)