Recently in China, many people who adopted cats for free unexpectedly found themselves burdened with thousands of yuan in debt. The media exposed this as a new scam, where businesses entice consumers into signing installment contracts under the guise of “free adoption” or “charitable adoption”. This not only leads to civil disputes but may also constitute legal violations. This news made it to the trending topics on March 15th.
According to reports from various mainland media outlets such as “New Yellow River”, many individuals have disclosed to the media that they have fallen into the “trap” of adopting cats out of kindness but ending up with substantial debt.
The typical scheme involves businesses promoting “free adoption” or “charitable adoption”, persuading adopters to sign installment payment contracts. These contracts stipulate that the adopter must purchase cat food on a monthly basis for 12 to 24 months, with no option for cancellation once the contract is signed. In case the cat goes missing or dies, the contract still needs to be fulfilled.
In November 2025, a man named Li Chao (alias) from Guangdong saw a pet shop offering “free cat giveaway” on a short video platform. After adding the shop’s WeChat account, they required him to sign a contract under the pretext of preventing cat abuse. The contract stated that he must buy cat food at 288 yuan per month for 24 months. Although the cat Li Chao adopted went missing after two months, he is still obligated to repay the loan. To terminate the contract, he would have to pay a penalty of 3000 yuan. Even after consulting a lawyer, he was informed that the contract is legally binding and must be enforced.
Many others have encountered similar situations to Li Chao. On the Black Cat Complaint Platform, there were 973 complaints regarding “free adoption” and 339 complaints about “cat loans”. These complaints come from various regions across China. The individuals were attracted by pet shops promoting free cat adoption, only to sign adoption agreements that require them to pay a fixed amount monthly, often double or triple the market value of the cats. To terminate the contract, they need to pay varying amounts of penalties. Some contracts even prohibit adopters from posting negative reviews about the agreement on any online platform, or else they have to pay 10,000 yuan for damaging the store’s reputation and cover all legal fees for the business. In case of disputes, the jurisdiction of litigation is limited to the court in the location of the business.
Insiders revealed that with the increasing number of complaints, these businesses tend to deregister the original company and reopen in a new location. For consumers to seek justice, they must prove the connection between the old and new companies, which poses a significant challenge for ordinary consumers.
In response to this, Liu Shun, the chief lawyer of the Rongxi Law Firm in Shandong, analyzed to “New Yellow River” that the so-called “free adoption” is often legally interpreted as a contract relationship of “named adoption, actual sale”. If businesses lead consumers into such agreements, it not only results in civil disputes but may also violate consumer rights protection laws, entitling consumers to demand termination or compensation.
“澎湃新闻” (Pengpai News) also commented on this issue, stating that the model of “free adoption + installment purchase” is essentially a new type of trap that binds financial consumption under the guise of charity. They advise consumers to be rational when adopting or buying pets, carefully read the contract terms, and be cautious of any form of binding consumption and financial installment traps.