Violet Mbasso Lale
Pet Business – selling dogs and cats provides income for vendors, but high feeding and healthcare expenses, coupled with irregular purchases, vendors say, it is taking a toll on sales.
Keeping animals for sale requires daily attention and money, whether or not a customer comes to buy. This is the reality for vendors operating along the Briqueterie neighbourhood in Yaounde. Vendors say the animals are regularly fed with different varieties of food bought from supermarkets. These sellers admit that they frequently bathe them and ensure they remain clean and free from unpleasant smells, especially when potential buyers come close to inspect them.
The animals are regularly monitored and taken to veterinary doctors when necessary to ensure they remain healthy and fit for sale. All these activities come with expenses which vendors estimates at around FCFA 20 to 30,000 caring for a pet before it is sold, which they have to recover when fixing their prices. Ibrahim Saliu, a vendor in this sector, says the business does not generate the same level of daily income. “Every day is not the same. There are weeks where you can go out, you sell, and there are weeks where you do not sell,” he said.
According to him, customers often stop to look at the animals, but some eventually leave because they cannot afford the prices. Dogs are sold from FCFA 100,000, and cats are sold from FCFA 30,000, depending on the breed.
Another seller, Marcel Amougou, explained that maintaining the animals before they are sold is an important part of the activity. The money spent on food, hygiene and veterinary care adds to the overall cost of keeping them. For buyers who complete a purchase, the animal goes home with them, while its continued feeding becomes their responsibility.
Despite the financial pressure, the vendors remain hopeful. They believe that as interest in keeping dogs and cats grows, more people will become willing to spend on them, creating better opportunities for those who depend on the activity for income.
