Pet vending machines have been sparking heated online debates in China for months, but this controversial “unmanned economy” model seems to have an even darker side than meets the eye.
We first featured China’s live pet vending machines back in May of this year when they were spotted in busy cities like Beijing and Shanghai. Back then, people were furious about having cats displayed in transparent containers barely large enough for them to turn around in, but according to recent reports by several Chinese news outlets, this business model has an even darker side. It’s hard to resist an adorable kitten meowing at you from inside one of these vending machines like it’s begging you to take it home, but it’s even harder when doing so costs nothing. That’s right, the cats in these ‘adoption boxes’ are free, even specimens of coveted breeds that would otherwise cost a few hundred dollars. But there’s a catch!
Inside a large shopping mall in Shanghai, China, lies a shelf filled with adorable cats, including expensive breeds and hybrids that pet stores charge premium prices for. But these are all “free”! All you have to do is call a number, sign a contract and take the cute cat home with you. It’s a dream deal in real life. Or so it seems until you get your first monthly invoice for cat food, litter, and other pet products.
Chinese newspaper Youth Daily recently documented the case of Yuan, a Shanghai resident who fell in love with a 3-month-old American Shorthair kitten at the Global Harbor shopping mall. It was so adorable that she signed the contract and took it home with her. It was only later that she realized the cost of the mandatory monthly fee. She had to pay 800 yuan ($110) for cat food and litter for 24 months, which made the cat several times more expensive than if she had bought it from a breeder.
“The kitten was so adorable that we signed the contract and brought it home,” the woman told Youth Daily. “But the price of the supplies they provide is too expensive and not even from a well-known brand.”
Similar cases have been reported around China, with people complaining that they had been scammed by unscrupulous entrepreneurs. One woman reported being $750 in debt due to mandatory monthly fees, even though the cat she adopted unexpectedly died months ago. Apparently, adopters must also sign agreements that state they cannot terminate the contract if the pet dies or becomes lost within two years. Pet shops justify such conditions as guarantees that the new owners will not mistreat or abandon the pets.
“The main purpose of this is to prevent people from mistreating or abandoning cats once they take them home,” a pet store employee told News Weekly when asked about the store’s two-year payment plan.
Chinese pet forums are full of horror stories of people getting “free cats” only to be stuck with heavy bills even after the animals died. Pet store and pet vending machine operators continue to defend the model as a safety measure for the animals’ welfare. Legal experts say that people should stop thinking with their hearts when adopting “free cats” and read the contracts carefully in order to avoid financial burden.
