Shanghai museum opens for felines amid rising 'cat parents'

A queue of glamorous visitors stood outside Shanghai Museum, tails flicking and whiskers quivering as they waited to be let in for its inaugural

ancient Egypt

cat night. The number of

pets in China

has soared, reaching over

120 million

in 2023, and

cats

are the most popular. Younger generations see their "furred kids" as a cheaper substitute for human children, experts say.

Shanghai Museum

is capitalising on that interest - Saturday's event, heralded as a first in China, is just one of 10 planned cat nights. "I cannot imagine my life without a cat," cat owner Amy told AFP. "So I understand why Egyptians valued cats." Cats were considered sacred in ancient Egypt.