Chinese seek to pull cats from the menu

[Liberal_in_LA]

Chinese seek to pull cats from the menu

Cats peer from a cage after being saved from a market in Beijing. The Small Animal Protection Assn. says one business in Guangzhou, where cats are eaten, captures up to 10,000 a day — including pets — from around China and brings them back to be sold as food.



But now fellow Chinese are drawing the line. Eating cat, they say -- that is just too disgusting.

"Cats are your friends, not food," read the banners carried at a demonstration last week at the Guangzhou train station, where protesters were trying to intercept a shipment of cats.

"Shame on Guangdong!" they chanted at another demonstration, held at the Beijing offices of the Guangdong provincial government.

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"They've eaten all their cats so they have to take ours from Beijing. People don't want to let their cats go out on the street," said Zhao Ming, a 55-year-old physician who was among about 40 people demonstrating in Beijing.

The cat trade thrives in a seemingly boundless gray area of commerce. Police are reluctant to charge the cat catchers with theft because many of the cats involved live outside and, in the famously independent way of cats, are not technically owned by humans, merely fed and nurtured.

In the absence of police action, cat lovers are increasingly taking matters into their own hands.

[KamaAina]

1. But what are we going to put in our manapua?

(stuffed buns similar to dim sum; longstanding local urban legend has it that the meat filling says "Meow" rather than "Oink")

[Liberal_in_LA]

2. peanut butter!

[Critters2]

3. Time to hug my kitties!

That pic breaks my heart.

[grilled onions]

4. It's A First Step

One paw for kittiekind everywhere!

[Javaman]

5. But just to be clear, cows and pigs are still okay to eat right?

whew. good thing they aren't cute and cuddly.

:eyes:

[TahitiNut]

6. Somebody tell me again how letting pets run loose is a "good idea"???

:puke:

[benld74]

7. Trip to China in 2002 for adoption,,,

Took walking tour of open air market in Guangzhou. Anything under the sun and sea was for sale, crickets, eels, fish, live SCORPIONS 100 to a bag, starfish, and yes to the alley on the right I walked, heard and saw cats and dogs. Turned right around and shooed the family back the other way before they saw what I saw.