Very true. Some people give me a strange look when they find out that I only buy free range (organic is a plus but a different angle) chicken and eggs. It’s as if they are assuming I must be a snob to buy labelled food, not thinking for one minute about the welfare of the animal.

Nice to see some reasonable responses here rather than blunt outrage that the Chinese eat cats and dogs, ignoring the fact that we just eat different animals. Equivocation about “personality” is silly too; pigs are highly intelligent. I’m a committed meat-eater, but I’d resent animal suffering.

On a different note, cat and dog meat still sounds horrible as a food. I wonder is it just because it’s cheaply available, or is it actually actively sought.

It is different though. Dogs and cats are pets. They’re intelligent, they show affection (well, dogs do). They become members of the family. It’s hard to imagine establishing that bond with a cow or chicken. Damn Chinese!!

Any animal can show affection. A man in the West of Ireland has cows who run over to him and nuzzle him whenever he’s around.

If that’s the case I don’t know how he would ever send them for slaughter. If they don’t eventually end up being eaten, then that proves my point.

Cats show affection too.

That’s a very impressive name you have. First time I think I’ve ever seen double-double-barrelled

Well to be honest.. Now that you’ve mentioned it.. I’ve never noticed it before either. Lol

“If it walks on the land, swims in the sea or flies in the sky, we can eat it” – some fella from China

What’s sick, transporting animals so that they can ultimately be eaten? Eating animals in general?

Cat’s are not hurd animals. They don’t belong in cages together like that. Sheep and cows are happy to gather together. It’s just cruel. A lot of of cats died in those cages.

That’s horrible but it did make me laugh.

I’m vegetarian and a cat person… so the idea of eating a cat is a little upsetting.

With regards people’s outlook on this, I guess it comes down to the fact that our culture doesn’t view cats or pets as food so it is even in 2013 a bit of a shock to read that Mrs Fluffyface or Spot are on a menu in another part of the world.

Well said. I was thinking the same thing. It’s the conditions that the cats are kept in before hand that disturb me, as I would be for any animal being treated badly beforehand. I’m actually curious as to what cat tastes like now.

It has the texture of sinewy chicken. I ate it accidentally in indonesia in a spicy noodle dish. I was appalled when I found out what it was I was eating and gave the rest to a kid on the street who definitely didnt mind getting any sort of meal. The locals found my dismay hilarious.

As for taste of it all I can remember is the sheer amount of chillies masking the flavour.

For Gods sake man! wheres your heart> They bOIL THE CATS ALIVE IN PRESSURE COOKERS !! Ive seen it done, and the first time you see it done youll throw up all the way home and never be able to forget it for 12 months.
Then they pull the dogs legs behind their backs and dislocate the dogs shoulders. The dogs in agaony then get a meat hook in the mouth and are hung up to be skinned. Fancy that being done to you?
Then there are fish..the latest fad is putting a wet cloth over the top half of the fish and cooking the bottom half, so when its cooked the fish feels you eating it alive.
Nice the Chinese are they not?

The difference is that there are some domestic animals bread for consumption, and others as pets…. its hurts us (and you if you are a human) to see our pets tortured like this… you need to grow up lad.

@Mary the figure for feral cats is staggering!

Totally agree with you there Mary. Also considering the fact we also use animals in medical and non-medical experiments..

There’s an American company with a premises in Mayo, where they conduct numerous horrific tests on animals, primarily dogs,(Beagles). A relative of mine has the unfortunate task of having to deal with its staff on a regular basis for ‘paperwork purposes’. Whilst my relative, does not work there, he has to visit the premises on a regular basis. He says that there are no signs on the premises, and that he has to access the grounds through a strict security area. Lots of warehouses there from which you can hear dogs screeching and howling. Whilst in the waiting room prior to meeting a member of the American company’s staff last month, he read thru some of the paperwork, which detailed some of the experiments, eg ‘Thoroughly cover the animal’s skin with fleas’, and leave for eg a few hours before applying the product to the animal’s skin. Poor dogs! This happens every day in our country! I’d like to name the company but my post would probably be deleted.

& Marty . The figure of 500,000 is thought to an under estimate . The real figure is thought to be between 500,000 and 750,000.
You must remember that a cat can have up to 5 litters a year with an average of 5 kittens per litter . At 5 months these kittens can start reproducing themselves and in turn there kittens can reproduce and so on . I am the owner of 4 rescue cats all male and every one of them are neutered and vaccinated . It is virtually impossible to keep a cat indoors but at least I know that when they go out they are not helping in the production of more kittens . Any reputable rescue adopting out cats or kittens who are older than 5 months should not adopt these cats without first neutering them .
In addition the government should step in with a TNR system to cut down on the cat population .
Maybe if successive governments actually acknowledged the existence of cats first in animal welfare legislation it would be a start . As an animal lover I would not object to the introduction of a licence fee for cats if I knew that money went directly to the neutering of stray cats !

yea but they are not hungry they have it in resteraunts as a delicacy

@Carloine I don’t believe it’s viewed as a delicacy. It’s also commonly consumed at home.

I think China have started to produce legislation to make the consumption of cat and dog meat illegal.

@Caroline Apologies about the misspelling of your name.

Your comment seems a bit fishy to me!

Urban legend, cats never get served in restaurants because they never bring any money with them!

Urban legend: Why would you go to the hassle of catching, killing, skinning and butchering cats when you can get chicken fillets for less than 50 cents per breast?

Unfortunately probably true…
When I was in the UK the local chinese was closed down after health inspectors found cat carcasses in the freezer. This was widely reported at the time in local and national media. We’d be naive to think it doesn’t go on here too…

Couldn’t find any reference to that on the Internet. Urban myth unless you produce the facts.

Tom, you might not find it referenced on the web as it happened in the mid 80′s, but I can promise you it really happened.