Horror cat meat trade exposed as pets are stolen, slaughtered and eaten

Caged cats howl in terror as they watch a man swoop in with a set of barbaric-looking pincers and yank one out by the scruff of its neck.

After repeatedly bludgeoning the ginger animal, he plunges it in boiling hot water then throws the body into a defurring machine.

Every year a million cats are slaughtered in this manner before being cooked and served up in restaurants – part of a cruel and dangerous meat trade in Vietnam.

Many are beloved pets and owners live in constant fear of cat snatchers who swipe thousands a day to fuel this lucrative and ­international crime network. Black cats are particularly targeted for their apparent ­medicinal value.

While the eating of dog meat in Asia is widely known, the sinister and hideous trade in stolen cats for the pot, known locally as 'thit meo', or little tiger, is not so much.

These images will be hard for any animal lover to stomach but the Mirror has decided to publish them in the hope it will help bring an end to this cruelty.

Rahul Sehga, from Soi Dog, an ­organisation that put an end to the dog and cat meat trade in Thailand in 2014, said: “This year has been declared the Year of the Cat in Vietnam, with felines hailed as symbols of protection and good luck. It is time they were treated accordingly.

“The cats are stolen from outside loving homes and the streets before being transported in terrible conditions and ­slaughtered in view of one another using the crudest methods.

“Each point of the trade involves close contact between humans and these scared animals and therefore possible exposure to diseases.”

The World Health Organisation has warned cat and dog meat is a threat to public health with the risk of rabies, trichinellosis and zoonotic diseases – viruses such as Covid which jump from animals to humans.

Warning: graphic content below

On the streets of the capital Hanoi, we found restaurant owners hacking cooked cats and dogs while filthy cages crammed full of petrified animals looked on.

Many of the cats were still wearing their collars. On top of one cage lay a blood-stained chopping board and cleaver.

As I put my hand through the bars of another cage, many ­desperately wanted to be touched and miaowed for help. Others were too exhausted and had given up the fight.

Dozens were ill with wounds, laboured breathing and bloody noses after they had been trafficked across the country in sacks in journeys lasting days - sometimes weeks - without food and water. Blowtorched cats and dogs lay on the floor next to them.

A terrified white moggie with one blue and one green eye was panting, dehydrated in the 37C heat, while a tabby wearing a purple collar looked haunted.

When I returned the next morning, these two cats were missing. In the Ha Dong district, motorbikes speed along the street while shutters start to open at the cat restaurants.

By 7am we have witnessed one seller batter five animals to death,
in view of the passers-by who don’t look twice.

Experts say that while both dogs and cats are prone to stress, felines are exceptionally sensitive.

Soi Dog head of animal welfare Dr Ala Izydorczyk said stress causes immunosuppression, so cats are more susceptible to infectious disease.

'Terrified'

She added: “These cats suffer immense and prolonged stress from the minute they are rough handled during capture to confinement in overcrowded boxes, sacks and cages.

“Their sensitive sense of smell and hearing means that they are alert to the fact others are being slaughtered nearby, leaving them terrified.”

Cats are called little tigers in Vietnam, due to their supposed healing properties. The exact origins of eating them are unknown but data suggests it has increased in popularity only in the past decade.

Eating cats and dogs became routine during the war, which brought famine to parts of the country. But today cat meat is perceived as an increasingly exotic, speciality dish, which supposedly has healing powers.

The meat costs £8 per kilo. Chicken costs £1.30 per kilo and pork is £3.90. Around five million dogs are killed a year for their meat, which is £4.55 a kilo. The slaughter and consumption of cats was banned in 1998 in an attempt to encourage ownership to keep the rat population under control.

But these protections were revoked in January 2020, leading to a surge in restaurants. The trade now consists of a network of thieves, restaurants and slaughterhouses. One huge ­warehouse raided earlier this year was found to have been processing 500 cats a night for the past 10 years.

A survey conducted by the charity Four Paws found up to 95% of ­Vietnamese think eating dog and cat meat is not part of their culture. And 88% support a ban on the trade.

Soi Dog, run by Brit John Dalley, is lobbying to introduce laws to close the trade down. This month, it joined nearly 50 Vietnamese politicians for a milestone meeting where it discussed making Hanoi the first cat and dog meat-free city.

It said: “We will continue to fight for the creation of a legal ­framework so that cats and dogs are no longer subjected to this horrific cruelty.”

The Department of Agriculture’s Ta Van Tuong admitted: “Phasing out dog and cat meat is key to attracting more tourists, who are increasingly caring about the environment and animal welfare conditions.”

'Ticking time bombs'

In 2019 Vietnam was visited by 18 million holidaymakers, a major contributor to the economy.

Matt ­Backhouse, Four Paws’ head of stray animal care in Southeast Asia, added: “The combined animal welfare issues of the dog and cat meat trade, and live animal markets, are ticking time bombs.

“If governments don’t act to stop the brutal trade now and shut down the cruel markets, it is a case of when, not if, the next global pandemic originates from Vietnam.”

Opinion: Most horrific story I've covered in 20 years

In Vietnam, 2023 is the year of the cat, and the animals are hailed as symbols of protection and good luck.

Every bar, shop and restaurant has a waving cat ornament at their entrance, believed to have been bringing good fortune for centuries.

But in parts of this country, eating cat meat – particularly at the end of the lunar month – is thought to ward off bad luck, boost libido and even to gain the agility of the animal.

I’ve been a journalist for 20 years and have travelled the world to cover heartbreaking stories such as babies being sold in Romania and the ruthless poaching of elephants and rhinos in Uganda.

I’ve also sat through hundreds of hours of often sickening undercover footage from slaughterhouses, fur and factory farms.

But the cat meat trade here is the most upsetting experience of my career.

Many of my friends have questioned why a cat lover like myself would want to witness the horrors firsthand. Some even told me not to send any pictures, as they couldn’t bear to see animals suffering.

Watching five cats being subjected to the most horrific, long and torturous death was awful but documenting this side of the industry is crucial in helping to end the cruelty.