Chinese Police Save 1,000 Cats That Were About to Be Slaughtered and Sold as Mutton or Pork

Cat illustration. (Unsplash/Tong Nguyen van)

JAKARTA - Chinese police managed to rescue around 1,000 cats that were about to be slaughtered and then sell their meat last month, according to government-affiliated media.

It doesn't stop there, it is said that when the cat meat is served it will be claimed to be goat or pork.

This revelation began when activists in Zhangjiagang City observed and monitored cats locked in wooden boxes with nails for six days, citing the BBC from The Paper, November 20.

When the cats were loaded into the truck on October 12, they went to the police. Based on information from animal protection activists, the police intercepted the truck carrying the cats.

The cats were then moved to a shelter, according to a report in The Paper.

Ironically, the rescue not only exposed the illicit trade in cat meat, but also raised new concerns about food safety.

The rescue exposed the illicit trade in cat meat and raised new concerns about food safety, the report said.

It is unclear whether the rescued cats were strays or pets. However, they are on their way to the south of the country to be served as satay and pork and lamb sausages.

Cat meat can cost 4.5 yuan (IDR 9,855) per catty, a unit of measurement in the Bamboo Curtain country that is roughly equivalent to 600g, activists say. Meanwhile, one cat can produce four to five catties.

News in The Paper about this revelation received thousands of angry comments on the Chinese social media platform Weibo. Some users called for stricter inspections of the food industry.

"Hope these people die a tragic death," said one Weibo user.

"When will there be laws protecting animals? Are the lives of cats and dogs not important?" asked another.

"I won't eat barbecue meat outside anymore," wrote another.

Last June, a college in Jiangxi Province caused a stir when a student found a rat head in his food.

The school initially tried to claim it was duck meat. However, later they admitted that the student was right.