Before the recent five-day May Day holiday, pet owners who planned to travel outside the city became more and more concerned about who could take care of their animals.

In Changchun, Jilin province, more people turned to pet boarding services as they made their advance plans.

"We are always busy during the holidays," said the owner of one pet supply shop in the city. "About a year ago, I noticed that during the holidays, there would be more pets needing to be looked after when their owners were away, so I started to provide pet boarding services in my shop."

To ensure the safety of the pets, the shop only provides the service to its VIP guests "because we are familiar with their pets' health and temper conditions", the owner said. "Guests need to pay 28 yuan ($4) to 35 yuan per day for each pet, including three meals and some grooming services."

A female resident surnamed Wang found out about the service when she purchased pet food in the shop.

"I keep four cats and three dogs at home and I cannot imagine the mess if we leave for several days," she said. "It is really a good service that allows me to make a travel plan for the National Day holiday."

Some cat owners can also find boarding services in a cat-themed cafe in a shopping mall. Each cat gets its own house and all the cats can move freely in the cafe. Pet owners are charged 50 yuan per day for each cat.