Tale of Rawalpindi’s pet economy

The demand for pet cats is at an all-time high in Rawalpindi, with uptrends in both local sales, imports and exports of the ‘furry companions.

A large number of citizens in the garrison city have started rearing rare types of pet cats for breeding and selling in the local market to earn handsome money.

Many citizens also earn a decent income by selling the rare breeds of cats imported from the US, the UK, Russia, China, Bangladesh, Japan and other countries.

Muhammad Bangash, involved in the business of buying and selling cats in the Rawalpindi birds’ market, said that earlier, the hobby of keeping cats was limited to Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad but now it has started making inroads among well-to-do families of Rawalpindi.

“Over time, the trend of keeping imported cats is increasing among the citizens of Rawalpindi and that is why people have started rearing and breeding imported cats locally.

He further said that the rare breed cats range from Rs20,000 to Rs200,000 in the local market.

He said that most people prefer to buy a pair of cats and get a valuable cat breed locally and to further sell for a handsome amount. The kittens are reared locally and sold in the market for a huge profit, he said.

He said that many hobbyists are breeding prized cats locally and earn dollars by selling them abroad through online platforms.

Mohammad Zain, who has a business with rare pet cats, said that he started breeding and selling the precious breeds of cats in the market 10 years ago and since then, the demand is soaring. He said that breeds of imported cats fetch good money.

Zain said that he got the idea of cat-breeding from the Internet.

He said that he has rare breed cats from 10 different countries worth hundreds of thousands of rupees. “Cat breeders and sellers in Pakistan are making huge profits by selling Persian cats, Maine Coon cats, Ragdoll cats, British shorthair cats and Russian cats,” he said adding that locally fostered and bred precious cats are exported for a high price.

Most people import feed for rare cats as the locally produced food is not of standard quality, people involved in the business said.

They said that cat breeding is pretty profitable, but it was essential to provide the best environment for cats for breeding.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 7^th, 2022.