A pet owner's perspective on why elaborate farewell rituals for animals are not just a trend — they are a reflection of how deeply we love our furry family members
If you have ever ugly-cried over a pet, you already understand everything that is happening in China right now. The news that pet joss paper, luxury funeral packages, and paper Wagyu beef offerings for deceased pets are literally flying off virtual shelves in China is not weird — it is, honestly, one of the most relatable things we have ever read. Because, well, pet death hits differently. It is not just losing an animal. It is losing a family member, a therapist, a hype person who never once judged your questionable life choices. And when that happens, we will do almost anything to process the grief. China is just doing it with a little extra flair — and a lot of paper salmon.
• Pet death grief is neurologically and emotionally comparable to human bereavement, and dismissing it as an overreaction ignores well-established research on the human-animal bond.
• China's pet joss paper trend is a culturally specific expression of a universal impulse — using ritual to process loss — and reflects a pet market that has genuinely matured into end-of-life services.
• The global pet funeral industry is growing far beyond China, and pet owners everywhere benefit from knowing their options and giving themselves permission to grieve meaningfully before they are in the middle of acute loss.
Why Pet Death Grief Is Genuinely as Intense as Any Other Loss
Let us get something straight before anyone rolls their eyes at the idea of a luxury pet funeral: The grief felt when a pet dies is neurologically and emotionally comparable to grieving a human loved one. Studies in human-animal bond research have consistently shown that pet loss can trigger the same stages of grief — denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance — as losing a close friend or family member.
And yet, pet bereavement is frequently dismissed by workplaces, social circles, and even some mental health professionals as an overreaction. The technical term for this is 'disenfranchised grief' — grief that society does not fully acknowledge or validate. The Chinese pet owners burning paper salmon for their cats are not being dramatic.
They are doing exactly what grieving humans have always done, to reach the departed via ritual because ritual gives grief a container.
The article makes this point beautifully through Wang Xianyou, president of the Anhui Province Folklore Society, who notes that these rituals help people 'cope with and alleviate their grief.'
The Pet Funeral Industry: What It Looks Like Beyond China
China is making headlines, but the pet funeral industry is absolutely not unique to Asia. In countries like the United Kingdom, the United States, and Australia, pet cremation and burial services have been a growing sector for well over a decade. In the UK, for instance, there are dedicated pet cemeteries that have existed since the Victorian era, with the Hyde Park Pet Cemetery in London considered one of the oldest.
In the US, the pet loss services market — covering cremation, burial, memorial products, and grief counselling — has been valued in the hundreds of millions of dollars annually and is projected to keep growing as pet ownership rates and the humanisation of pets both increase. What makes China's version fascinating is the cultural layering through the use of joss paper and offering rituals, a deeply meaningful part of Chinese mourning traditions. It is an organic evolution of an existing framework.
The result is something that looks uniquely Chinese but taps into a universal human impulse of doing something meaningful for the ones we love, even after they are gone. The luxury packages described in the article — complete with up to 139 paper items including air conditioners and symbolic servants — are honestly giving us some very big 'spare no expense' energy, and we are here for it.
Is This Just a Money-Making Machine Exploiting Grief?
The question the article raises is whether the pet joss paper industry is genuinely serving grieving pet owners, or is it capitalising on vulnerability? The honest answer is that it is probably both, and that is okay to acknowledge. The criticism from Chinese netizens — that it is 'attention-grabbing nonsense' or a 'marketing gimmick' — has merit from a commercial standpoint.
When factories are actively producing viral videos of their Wagyu beef paper offerings and selling packages in US dollars, British pounds, and euros (the 'inflation in the afterlife' joke from one netizen is genuinely iconic, by the way), there is clearly a profit motive at work. But that does not automatically invalidate the emotional need it is meeting.
The wellness and grief industry broadly — think memorial jewellery containing pet ashes, professional pet loss counsellors, customised portrait paintings — has always existed in this dual space of genuine service and commercial opportunity. The real question for pet owners is not whether businesses are profiting, but whether the product or service is genuinely helping them process their grief in a healthy way. If the burning of paper salmon affords a moment of connection to a departed pet and helps them move through their sadness, well, it is a validation. If however they are spending money they do not have because an algorithm served a targeted ad at 2am while the owner is heartbroken, that is worth examining.
What the Pet Funeral Boom Means for the Global Pet Community
The 2026 China Pet Industry White Paper cited in the article puts the urban pet market at 312.6 billion yuan (approximately US$46 billion) and projects growth to 405 billion yuan by 2028. Those are staggering numbers, and they reflect something the pet community has known for years, that pet ownership is no longer a lifestyle add-on. It is a central emotional and social commitment for millions of people worldwide.
For the broader pet industry, the Chinese market's rapid expansion of end-of-life services is a signal of market maturity. Historically, pet industries in emerging markets move through predictable phases: Basic food and accessories first, then health and veterinary care, then premium lifestyle products, and finally, end-of-life and memorial services. The fact that China is now deep in that final phase — and innovating within it using culturally specific traditions — suggests the market has genuinely come of age.
For pet owners globally, this matters because it normalises the conversation around pet death planning. Just as people are increasingly encouraged to think about end-of-life preferences for themselves and their human loved ones, thinking ahead about how you want to honour a pet is an act of love, not morbidity. Knowing what kind of farewell feels right for you — whether that is a simple cremation, a memorial garden, or yes, a full ceremonial burning of paper Wagyu beef — is genuinely useful to consider before you are in the middle of acute grief.
Practical Things Every Pet Owner Should Know About Saying Goodbye
Whether or not paper joss offerings are your thing, there are some really important things the pet community does not talk about enough when it comes to preparing for pet death.
- Grief support specifically for pet loss is a real and growing field. Many veterinary schools in the United States operate pet loss support hotlines.
- Knowing your options before the moment arrives takes enormous pressure off a devastating time. Cremation options typically include individual (where you receive your pet's ashes back) and communal (where multiple pets are cremated together and ashes are not returned). Prices vary widely depending on the size of the animal and the service provider, so researching in advance — just as you would for any other planned expense — is genuinely practical self-care.
- Memorial rituals, whatever form they take, have psychological value. Whether it is a formal pet funeral service with floral arrangements (like those described in the article), a quiet burial in your garden where local regulations permit, a commissioned portrait, or yes, a set of beautifully designed paper offerings, giving yourself permission to mark the moment is healthy. The instinct to create ceremony around loss is as old as humanity itself. Your grief for your pet is real. It deserves a real acknowledgement.
• As pet humanisation deepens globally, should employers start offering bereavement leave for pet loss — and which countries or companies, if any, already do?
• Where is the ethical line between a grief industry that genuinely serves bereaved pet owners and one that exploits emotional vulnerability for profit, and who should be responsible for drawing it?
China's pet funeral boom is honestly one of the most human stories we have read in a while. It is about love, loss, the very understandable desire to keep doing something for someone you can no longer reach, and yes, a rapidly expanding commercial market that knows exactly how to meet that need.
For pet owners everywhere, the takeaway is simple. Your grief when a pet dies is valid, it is real, and you absolutely deserve rituals and support to help you through it. We love our animals fiercely and devoting energy to send off a pet is one of the most important things we can do for ourselves.