Cat and dog welfare China

Helping cats and dogs live safe, respected lives in China

China’s cats and dogs face enormous challenges. Many are homeless, at risk of illness, or stolen from loving homes to be illegally sold into the dog meat trade.

But change is sweeping across the country — and Animals Asia is helping lead the way.

Empowering local heroes

We support over 400 grassroots animal groups with funding, training, and veterinary assistance. This enables them to:

  • Rescue and rehabilitate stray animals
  • Implement trap-neuter-return (TNR) programmes for community cats
  • Deliver public education initiatives promoting responsible pet care

We also provide workshops on animal welfare and shelter management, helping to elevate standards of care across the country.

Public awareness

From street exhibitions and World Rabies Day campaigns to media interviews and viral videos, we’re changing hearts and minds. Our Dr Dog and Professor Paws therapy dog programmes have reached over 100,000 people — inspiring compassion and demonstrating the value of the human-animal bond.

We’re also helping people better understand how animals experience pain. Through our Veterinary Welfare Training Programme, we’re teaching cat lovers and veterinary professionals in mainland China and Hong Kong SAR how to use the Feline Grimace Scale — a tool that assesses five facial features to detect signs of acute pain. This empowers caregivers to act quickly and ensure cats receive appropriate treatment, improving their comfort and quality of life.

Dr Dog and Professor Paws

Our pioneering therapy dog programmes are at the heart of our public awareness work.

  • Professor Paws

    Our Professor Paws program encourages safe and compassionate interactions with schoolchildren using therapy dogs.

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  • Dr Dog

    Dr Dog is an animal therapy program in China, raising awareness of animal welfare and bringing comfort to those in need.

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Government partnerships

We’re proud to be the first international NGO invited to join China’s Rabies Prevention and Control Committee. Working hand-in-hand with local and national authorities, we:

  • Promote humane dog population control through registration and vaccination
  • Support the enforcement of public health laws
  • Host training seminars on disease control and animal welfare

In recent years, we’ve helped introduce new dog ownership regulations in several cities, supported the development of quarantine protocols, and backed local governments to humanely manage stray populations.

Ending the meat trade

We investigate illegal dog meat sellers, support reporting schemes, and work with communities to push for legislative change. In 2020, we welcomed the removal of dogs from China’s official list of livestock — a major step forward in ending the trade.

Our Zero Dog Meat City initiative is gaining traction, with growing numbers of cities pledging not to support or allow the commercial trade of dog meat.

Together, we are building a more compassionate China — one where animals are safe, respected, and loved.