More than 400 cats saved from being eaten after raid on meat cages in Vietnam

Hundreds of cats destined to be slaughtered and sold for meat for as little £2/kg have been reunited with their owners.

Police and animal charities found 45 cages containing around 400 live cats and four ice-filled foam containers holding approximately 80 dead cats in Ho Chi Minh City.

The suspects admitted to trapping and caging cats across south Vietnam to be slaughtered over the past three years.

About 20 live cats were also recovered at a separate location, according to police, who said a kilogram of cat meat sold for around 70,000 Vietnamese dong (around £2).

Cats were found alive in Ho Chi Minh City (Picture: Humane World for Animals Viet Nam)

‘The sad truth about this trade is that thousands of cats every month are being stolen, trafficked and slaughtered for meat across the country,’ said Phuong Pham, the country director of the Humane World for Animals in Vietnam.

‘Thankfully, these survivors escaped.’

Several of the rescued cats were pregnant, leading to kittens being born in police custody this week, she said.

But for some the police raid didn’t come quickly enough with several of the cats dying from the harsh conditions they were trapped in.

A number of cats tragically were too weak to be saved (Picture: Humane World for Animals Viet Nam)

Chris Gindelhumer with the nonprofit Vietnam Cat Welfare, who is helping care for the rescued animals, said he ‘saw quite a lot of tears in the last few days.’

‘It’s really beautiful to see how many Vietnamese families are coming, looking for their cats,’ he said.

‘But it’s also heartbreaking because many families were looking for their cats and didn’t find them.’

Vets and volunteers are working around the clock to save the rest of the cats, Gindelhumer said.

Eating cat meat is legal in Vietnam as well as dogs. Vendors must have permits to validate the animals’ origins.

Not long after South Korea’s 2024 ban on dog meat, Vietnamese officials said the government plans to rebuild parts of the legal system to better protect pets and the rights of their owners.

‘This event surprised a lot of people and has raised awareness among many to stop consuming cat meat,’ said An Pham, a master’s degree student and avid cat lover in Ho Chi Minh City.

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