Cruelty on the Menu in China
There has been a recent increase in media reports and public outrage at the horrific cat meat trade in China. If you think it doesn’t get any worse than killing cats for meat, it does… the practice involves unspeakable cruelty and abuse, both in the handling of the cats prior to butchering and the manner in which they are killed. The following is from the Animals Asia website:
The struggle to end dog and cat eating in China, and the horrific cruelty associated with the trade, was a major reason for the formation of Animals Asia 10 years ago. Through our Friends….or Food? campaign, this issue remains very much at the core of our work.
Recent reports in the Chinese media have once again focused attention on this barbaric practice. The Southern Metropolis Daily newspaper, based in the southern city of Guangzhou in Guangdong province (the centre of dog and cat eating in China), reported on 17 December that a group of traffickers had shipped around 1,500 live cats from Jiangsu province into Guangdong, for sale to restaurants in cities there, and that thousands more were being transported every day.
Chengdu Business Daily newspaper reported that around 10,000 cats were eaten in Guangdong province every day, many of which may have been cared for by local residents, and may even have been family pets. These poor creatures suffer a horrific fate. After being trapped and transported for hours crushed together in tiny bamboo or wire crates with no food or water, many are skinned alive and thrown into boiling water, before being served to restaurant goers.
Meat from cats can apparently fetch around 36 yuan (just over US$5) per kg in restaurants in Dongguan, Guangdong. Live cats caught for the trade in other provinces fetch just 3 or 4 yuan (US$0.5) per kg. Wholesalers, traffickers and restaurant owners all take their cut along the way.
There are rays of hope in China. The Southern Metropolis Daily newspaper recently conducted an online survey of readers in Guangdong, with 75% of respondents considering the eating of cats to be “ruthless”. Chinese animal welfare groups, some of which get financial support from Animals Asia, have organised protests in cities like Beijing and Guangzhou this month; indeed our very own China Relations director, Christie Yang, accompanied the Guangzhou group “Xixi Cat” to the train station to check for cats arriving from Hubei province, and gave interviews to the local press. The issue is generating far more media coverage within China than ever before.
The problem is that there is currently no law in China under which the perpetrators of these activities can be prosecuted. What’s more, there is no public health inspection of these animals, so people eating cat meat may well be putting their own health at risk.
Animals Asia is writing to the Guangdong and Guangzhou government authorities to highlight the national and international concern surrounding this activity, and the need for animal welfare legislation in order to bring it to an end. In addition, we are writing letters to the Chinese embassies in countries where we work, in order to increase international awareness.
If you want to help, write a polite letter to your local Chinese embassy (www.travelchinaguide.com/embassy/) explaining your concerns , and the urgent need for legislation to protect dogs, cats and other animals from this kind of horrific treatment. The Chinese authorities must be made to realise that these kinds of practices reflect badly on China and her people on the international stage. Also, please consider helping by donating to Animals Asia’s Friends….or Food? campaign.
Amazingly, in doing research on organizations that are taking action to stop this sickening abuse of cats, Animals Asia was the only org I could find (if you know of others, please let me know). Even PETA is not yet involved, other than issuing a statement decrying the cat meat trade in China.
Click here to read more about the recent protests.
While eating dog is a common and historic practice (energetically dog has one of the warmest meats and so peasants find it a good way to keep their core temperature warmer in winter), the eating of cats is rarely discussed in China. It is a horrible article but thanks for bringing it to our attention.
This is the most terrible thing that I have ever read. Cats are the most wonderful companions that you could ever have. Please someone stop this.
I think this needs to be PURRsented to 20-20 on ABC TV or Oprah on TV – disgusting what those folks are doin’ and they need to be exposed. Thanks Skeezix for bringing it to our attenshun, sad as it is.
One of the things that gets me is that surely it is an inefficient meal? It is probably a callous response to think of that first, I guess I don’t want to look past it to the horrific things. I feel sick.
THIS IS WHAT I WROTE TO THE “TravelChinaGuide.com” website. It was posted up there and then 5 minutes later someone took it down. I also posted these links which disappeared as well. I WILL TRY TO WRITE LETTERS TO THE EMBASSIES NOW
http://www.chinapost.com.tw/china/local-news/other/2008/12/19/188363/China-protest.htm
http://blogs.catster.com/the-cats-meow-a-cat-and-kitten-blog/cats-in-china-are-on-the-menu-and-in-the-media/2009/01/06/
http://www.animalsasia.org/index.php?UID=9EYDCLSB8VE
“PLEASE READ — THIS IS ABSOLUTELY SERIOUS, TRUE, DOCUMENTED AND IMPORTANT. PLEASE DO NOT DELETE IT. PLEASE HELP THIS MESSAGE GET OUT THERE SO OTHERS CAN HELP THIS SITUATION GET FIXED.
Dear Sir or Madam, We are interested in vacationing in China and respect it’s people and culture, however this recent news that has been exposed about Chinese cruelty to domestic animals really reflects badly on China. We are respectfully but urgently writing to you to help immediately stop and end this horrific and cruel torture of cats and other animals who are being skinned and cooked alive in Chinese restaurants. Yes it sounds horrible but these are the facts that must be brought to light so this can stop. Please forward this to whomever you can in hopes of stopping these terrible practices. We do not want to look at the country of China in such a terrible light, but will continue to stay away from China until this is resolved. Thank you for your serious attention and action. Signed, An extremely concerned US citizen”
This is absolutely horrific! And we couldn’t even stand to read it all!
I am just appalled that in the twenty first century this is still going on, and it must stop immediately. It made me phycially sick to read the complete article and the pictures are even more horrific. Please people let us band together and make our voice heard for these innocent animals.
At the risk of being flamed- here is my response:
Are the methods of treatment for these animals before being killed and eaten grotesque? YES. They most certainly are- and the torture should be stopped. MUST be stopped.
Is EATING a cat a henious crime? In countries where cats are primarily house pets, it certainly seems so. However- that is not the case in many countries. In many places they are viewed the same way those of us that eat meat view a cow or a chicken- they’re viewed as food.
I repeat: TORTURE of animals any place is a terrible thing and must be stopped at all costs. If the animal is to be used as food, it must be humanely kept and humanely killed. We are still trying to accomplish that in America with beef.
Not only do the Chinese eat cats (and treat them horribly, but as Jen pointed out, so do we in America with the animals we eat, well not meowmy but most Americans) they skin dogs and cats ALIVE for fur, much of it sold her as those cute little mousies one might buy for their cats to play with, gloves, collars, purses: small things you might not think of.
Take heart, however!! There are MANY people inside China (yes!!) and outside to help. Here’s a wonderful group with lots of good info and ways to help:
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/People4ChineseAnimals/
It will be a LONG road, but help is coming slowly…
Meowmy cries everytime she see’s stuff like this. She and all of us pray all the time that this will soon stop. Thanks for the link Amelia! Meowmy will check it out!
Lets ALL PURR REAL HARD THIS WEEKEND and MAYBE our voices will be heard (even if its in the slightest way)!!!!
Not sure how cat is any different from pork, chicken or beef. Who are we to impose our food preferences on others?
Thanks to all animals lovers who care for pay attention to the cruelty on cats in China.
I am living exactly in this city, Guangzhou, southern China, where thousands of cats are stolen from all around the country, shipped by trucks here, and killed for food and fur in an extremely cruel way.
When I think of this I really feel very depressed, like many other animals lovers in China.
R. Jackson, I am sorry for our critical comment, but may I tell you more about the fact? These cats being killed are not farming stocks, but most of them are stolen from their owners and families. I know what you meant, being a vegan, however if people do not even care about cats, which is the most familiar and closed to people, how do we expect them to respect other animals?
In China, many people are trying to stop this criminals. However they can only fight aginst the cruelty on their own feet, due to the lack of law of animals welfare.
So please if you can do not support this cruelty. Think about it before you buy a ticket to travel here in Guangzhou, China. I also suggest to bacotte Chinese products not only furs. Wite to the big companies which exporting products from China, that you do not want their products because they comes from a barbaric country eating cats! It is just easy for the Chinese government to do somthing to change, but they will not take it seriously without realizing this is a pressing issue.
Yes, Jenny is right, letting the Chinese government know that we know is the first step in the right direction.
Also, if you are in a store and see a product from China with fur, calmly but firmly tell the store owner and/or manager that, not only can you not support a store that sells fur, that a product with fur from China is probably cat or dog. This is not prejudice, it is a fact. No matter what the fur is labeled as, there are no laws to prevent these cat and dog fur products from coming into the country. Then walk out of the store, no matter what they say.
No animal deserves to be treated in such an appalling, brutal manner, whether it be a dog, cat, chicken, pig, cow, goat or any other living creature!!! I couldn’t give a damn how “nutritious” this meat may be, it is NOT acceptable! It also says a lot about the nature of the people who are a part of this savagery! It is not civilised and will not be tolerated in the 21st Century. China is a pariah state in many of our eyes and I for one will continue boycotting ALL chinese goods!