China’s pet economy is expanding rapidly, with the urban dog and cat population exceeding 126 million in 2025 and the market growing to 312.6 billion yuan ($46 billion). Rising demand from younger pet owners and advances in artificial intelligence are accelerating the adoption of smart pet care products.

AI-enabled feeders, water dispensers, collars, litter boxes and health-monitoring devices are becoming increasingly popular, offering facial recognition, remote feeding, health tracking and real-time data analysis.

Companies are also introducing AI-powered pet phones and wearable cameras to improve remote interaction and companionship.

Local governments, including Zhejiang Province, are supporting the development of intelligent pet products and wearable technologies as part of broader AI innovation efforts. While the industry is growing quickly, experts say AI applications remain in their early stages, with challenges such as high computing costs, limited interoperability and the need for more advanced animal behaviour analysis still to be addressed.

Source: People’s Daily