Cat fight over China´s feline meat trade

Pedro Silva wrote:

Sky News today: Holly Williams in China: "It cost me seven Renminbi a pound", a man told me, pointing at a hessian sack. He had paid about 70p for cat meat at a southern China market. For many chinese people, especially in the country´s south, eating cat is a perfectly normal tradition. We visited a restaurant in the city of Guangzhou that specialises in what the chinese call "wild taste". The waitress showed us cages full of live animals: turtles, snakes, pheasants and domesticated cats. A chef tried to sell us a dish called Dragon, Tiger, Phoenix, a stew of snake, pheasant and cat meat. But now, the eating of cat has become a cultural background in China as animal rights activists face off against traditionalists. It is also highlited divisions between China´s new middle class, for whom having a pet is a status symbol, against those here who are themselves struggling to survive, and see no need for animal rights. Barbarians. They´re barbarians. Otherwise, how could they eat cat meat? Wu Xue, whose cat disappeared from her doorstep. Cat protection groups have sprung up in cities across China. Frustrated by their government, they stage their own raidsd, storming into restaurants and markets, attempting to shame people out of eating cat. Sky News obtained video footage from one recent raid near Shanghai, where campaigners tried to hold up a truck load of cats shipped to market. They released traumatised animals from cramped wood crates, while a horrified crowd looked on. But when the police arrived, they backed the cat dealer. In China, there is no law at all against animal cruelty. The trader even had a certificate to prove what he was doing was legal. Sky News accompanied another group of campaigners to a village butcher known to sell cat meat. They carried cages hoping to rescue any animals they found alive. But when we got there it was too late. All the butcher had in stock were four cats that had already been killed, skinned and frozen. As the campaigners attempted to confiscate her knives and meat hooks, I asked what she felt as she butchered the cats. "Nothing at all", she replied. What makes it worse for chines cat lovers is that many of the animals sold for their meat are not farmed, but stolen from their owners. I met with a group of people who told me they had lost all pet cats to thieves who trap and sell them for their meat. "Barbarians. They´re barbarians", said Wu Xue, whose cat disappeared from her doorstep late last year. "Otherwise, how could they eat cat meat?". The chinese have been eating cat for centuries but the practice has now opened a wound in this country, pittinh those who believe it must end against others who say it is simply part of chinese culture.

Culture you say? A mentally ill, retarded culture.

:stop: :stop: :stop:

Pedro, hi there, must say I am a little surprised to hear about the chinese eating cats, although nothing much surprises me these days, I have been to Hong Kong several times, in fact my daughter and her husband lived there for a couple of years and my Grandson was born there. We actually stayed in Kowloon and not on the main Hong Kong island but of course we often went there sight seeing, Aberdeen, Repulse Bay, and the main shopping areas. In Kowloon there was an outdoor market and it was aptly Nick named "Stinkies" and for obvious reasons. There was also another market we once went to and was amazed to see this Stall holder selling Snakes for food. The customer obviously didn't want to take the animal home alive so the trader killed it by breaking its neck or what ever. He did this by Cracking it like a whip! I am no real lover of Snakes and so I was not too sorry for the poor beast but they also had dogs caged up there which I assume were also for 'eating'! I suppose we have to try and understand that other countries have different cultures and ways of living, but I had never heard of cats being eaten as food. But then again, how about some countries eating Monkeys and others that consider sheeps eyeballs and brains a special delicacy? For that matter, how about 'bird nest soup' and in south America where I think they eat bats? My wife and I searched round a holiday resort in Thailand for a decent restraunt but each place we looked at had Cockroaches running around all over the place, can you imagine what the kitchens were like? And I almost forgot to mention the Japanese who continue to eat Whales, Dolphins, and goodness what else?
Alroy.

Royal wrote:..................But then again, how about some countries eating Monkeys and others that consider sheeps eyeballs and brains a special delicacy? ...............Alroy.

Alroy,

One of my Mum and Dads favourite foods was 'brains'. They also love sheeps cheeks and sweetbreads - especially sweetbreads.

Now for you younger ones, sweetbreads are the bits that men are especially proud of.

No, my Mum and Dad weren't cannibals; I guess the sweetmeats came from sheep or cattle. They also loved tripe (lining of the cows stomach), calves feet, pigs trotters and Mum always asked for the Parsons nose at Christmas. Mum and Dad weren't poor, but they were Victorian born, in the 1890's, and I bet in those days more of the animal was eaten. I bet we are still eating the offal dressed up as pies and curries etc even today, but we dont know it!

I love lambs tongue and lambs liver, but I HAVEN'T TAKEN TO ANY OF THE OTHERS! Oh, and I like haggis which I have just found is partly made from lungs!

Now as for coackroaches, just visit Agadir in Morocco if you want to see fine specimens of them. The 5* hotel (it shouldn't have been 5*) we stayed in was running with them - as big as small mice some of them, UGH!! If you want to kill one I understand that the method is to flip them over on to their backs and leave them to die, because if you squash one, the dead cockroach it will produce hundreds of babies. I dont know whether this is true, or not, but I prefer not to squash one anyway.

Some parts of the world love toasted cockroaches - I guess if you are hungry, you will eat anything. Dont think I could eat any of my pets or any domestic animals though - I would rather become vegetarian

LOL .. this could be a Riot of a thread ..

I have eaten Elephant's trunk !! So sorry about that, but I was younger then !! it was sliced thinly and tasted like tender beef. And it was good & it was in South Africa .. Sorry again. Wouldn't do it now though.

I love liver & onions (my husband will NOT let me make that !!) and I love Sweetbreads too (Ouch .. Hey, but I don't think about where they were hanging around beforehand) and I have seen a whole tray of sheeps brains in a cafeteria .. but that is just one step too far .. BARF & VOMIT.

I love kidneys, and I have tried Tripe long ago in Old Blighty.

OH I could go on...

So, let's hear it .... tasty?? how was it for you....



Quick PS. I could never eat domestic animals like cats & dogs. AWWW.. now that is sick, as we Love them.
But could eat Crocodile & Snake as I HATE them. Eh Oui hypocritic of me.

Marilyn, I love it!!

Have eaten eel - gorgeous!

Be friendly, please.

We are Pedro .. no-one nice would hurt certain animals like Cats & Dogs and of course many others too.
But we must laugh at our inconsistencies .. we are human, and frankly at the top of the food chain.
I love Chateaubriand (beef) but I tell you, I look into the lovely brown eyes of a cow (like mine!!) and My God .. we should all be vegetarians .. seriously, no-one can really justify eating another creature. Cows are lovely creatures and yet we eat them without thought .. it is wrong really.

Please don't take offense, Pedro, we are on your side. Just whacky humour which runs into frontiers sometimes.

Marilyn X

I´m not offended by any of you my friends. You´re right my friend, no one nice would hurt certain animals like cats and dogs.

Ladies... Ladies... I think we are upsetting poor Pedro who I think may be a vegitarian. Actually I think I could quite easilly sympathise with his views if that is the case. I often look at meat products when they are still wandering the earth, especially new born lambs, and think to myself, there but for the love of God could go I. I have mentioned once before not so long ago that we are very fortunate and privileged to have been born as human beings, we could just as easily have been a bird (lovely) a sheep, cow, pig worm, flea, and yes, even (dare I suggest it) a Cockroach, yack! Even the sound of that word turns my stomach! Interestingly, they say that should there ever be a disaster such as the Comet that wiped out the Dinosaurs and most other living things on Earth, the Cockroach would amost certainly be one of the none vertebrates to survive and who knows, even evolve into future masters of planet Earth, they are certainly smart and adaptable enough! Incidentally, how about this new telescope that just been lanunched into space searching the heavens for planets similar to Earth. I think they are looking ahead to see if we can some time hence migrate to other far flung destinations. The World is fast becoming over crowded and all the natural resources will soon begin to run out, oil, gas, food and water are already showing signs of becoming seriously problematic. Is science fiction soon to become a reality when we need to find ways of colonizing other distant planets, I honestly believe there are probably thousands of Earth like planets out there waiting to be discovered, but how to get there, there lies the greatest ever challenge for the future, I only wish I could still be here to see it!
Alroy.

I guess I was naughty with my run-on thoughts .. but, although certainly not in our lifetime .. we One Day will Never Again eat sentient creatures. Nor should we ever. Particularly those that can look us in the eye.
It will be called Civilization .. and in the meantime, I, like many others, will continue to be troubled by what I STILL continue to eat. Still a good topic though, but maybe a minefield.

BTW .. Snails are disgusting bug-like, slimy rubbery gob-splats & only digestible with garlic. Barely !!

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEWWWWWW

I´m not upset. I do eat meat, but from cats, dogs, snails and many others, no I don´t eat them. I also eat vegetables.

Frogs Legs anyone ??............Bit like pork and chicken..not worth the effort.(Had to eat them as we were guests in a French House) not again though they were horrible to look at.............

Have you ever been to one of those massive aquariums like they have in Florida and come face to face with a big fish? Some of them have wonderful big brown eyes, just like a cows with a smiley mouth and they look straight into your eyes. They come in the most beautiful vibrant colours imaginable

I couldn't eat fish for long time after seeing that. i feel ashamed that I do eat fish again, but the human race is weak, I guess.

Visited such an aquarium once in Florida and there was a little boy squating down with his nose pressed against the glass. On the other side was this gi-normous manatee and it had its nose pressed against the glass too and a blissful look on its face as it gazed into the little boys eyes. They stayed like that for probably 2 - 3 minutes. It was a precious moment for me, let alone the little boy.

For anyone who has never heard of Manatees they are huge (elephants come to mind) well rounded creatures, mammals, rather like a very big fat seal. They have chubbly dog like faces and tend to live in the mouths of rivers especially in Florida where unhappily they are getting severely chaopped up by the speedboats hitting them. Thankfully they have Manatee rescue operations in force and tend them untill they are well again. They are vegetarian and must be totally tame, because you see the keepers in the water with them feeding and patting them. Lovely creatures.

Claresy, when you take your little Princess to Disney in Florida make sure that you leave plenty of time to see the natural wonders that are there too. She will love them as much as Disney.

Catkins,

How did you manage it?..............

It would make me :poorly:

First went to Disneyworld soon after it opened, around 73/4 I think and went again almost every year after that. Anybody who hasn't been to Florida already then do try to go there, it is fabulous, so much to see and do. Mind you, it's not cheap, admission to these parks for a family can cost an arm and a leg. the trouble is its no just Disneyworld, you have the Epcot, Universal Studios, Sea World, Bush Gardens, and so on, the entertainment is just endless and exciting. Another problem is its almost impossible to see all there is to see in two weeks which means you need to go again, and again, its infectious! And of course there are the coastal areas, the Atlantic East side and the Gulf Coast on the west all of which have great beaches, Shopping Mals and Restuarants! White sandy beaches and warm water to swim and bathe in! And if you feel like a long drive down the Florida Turnpike you can visit the Keys, Key Largo, Key west, etc. stopping on the way at Fort Lauderdale and Miami to do a bit of shopping perhaps!
Alroy.

Hi

back on the eats.

I have eaten kangaroo. we can buy it in the supermarket over here, but the first time I tried it was in a curry when I was about 10. But we had to go shooting first. It was the last time I ever went shooting. I dont believe in shooting kangaroos (or other animals for that matter) as they dont die straight away and it is painful for them.

But our kangaroos are killed at the abattoir, like cows and sheep. I have also tried crocodile (didnt much like it) and have eaten emu once but cant remember what it was like, or even if I like it. I think maybe too much wine that night.

I dont think I want to eat cats and dogs though. It is not the eating, it is the way they are kept and how they are killed that is the problem. Like the sunbears in China that are farmed for bile. It is too cruel for words. China has no animal cruelty laws, so the animals are not treated properly before they are killed. It is a disgrace.

And there is "Chasse" .. in October-ish here Wild Boar and Deer are hunted and served on the menu. Now, Wild Boar are the hairy bad-tempered cousins of pigs so I eat them without any qualms, but pigs are actually quite intelligent and sweet natured - piglets are adorable - so I have a wee problem with bacon.

Deer are beautiful and it's like killing Bambi so I don't like that. (But I have eaten it anyway).

Yes .. frogs legs are not worth the effort .. tiny chicken legs sort of and frogs are disgusting too.

I have a problem too with China in that they seem to eat absolutely anything, including endangered species. And the cruelty is absolutely shocking there - there is no culture of kindness to animals at all. And they eat dogs as well .. dogs are really people in fur coats and we Love them in the West .. but some Arabs consider them filthy and are shocked we let them live with us. And yes, Cats and Dogs get skinned and made into coats as well.

In the Amazon there are people that singe the fur off Tarantulas and snack on them. I think God was in a really foul mood when he made spiders and yet some people can actually eat them. And other bugs too.

Oh, & PS : Horse meat !! I have never "knowingly" eaten horse meat. But it is on sale here in the supermarkets and people buy it. Horses are noble creatures of such elegance and beauty .. God was in a very good mood when he made them. I feel they should never be killed for food. I'd rather starve.

Imo cats and dogs are domestic animals.You dont eat them. As humans we are on top of the food chain so i guess that sort of makes us the kings of what we eat and when we want it etc. And yer there are certain animals we do eat...we are meat eating mammals after all!! etc....However we are fortunate enough to not have to fight for food like those lower down the chain do.... we have made our choices over evolution of what animals we hunt for food.Cats and dog are considered by most normal people to be domestic animals that we love and befriend...and in turn they love us back..........
So i think this cat eating is disgusting.Its just another of chinas deluded ways of getting into the papers or on tv for the craziest poeple contest.Dogs and cats are domestic animals we don't eat them we love them.There are limits in which us as human do not pass...unfortunately some idiots do cross that barrier. Urghhhhhhhhhhhhhh

And im not racist...i have an opinion that i feel i want to express regardless of what the politic view it may be.This day and age we cant say nothing without being classed as being racist and not giving people from other countries a choice etc.But imo that's the reason things are getting out of hand here.....everyone is scared to say something for fear of being labeled racist etc,Im not racist,but i find the Chinese way to much sometimes their food and means of getting it aswel are to be questioned.I saw a program on tv not long ago where they take children to a zoo and let them watch animals get killed slowly by other animals etc.The poor things are screaming really loud as they are salvaged by tigers and lions.Its feeding time at the zoo and instead of them taking meat to the animals they take them live meat.SICK.SICK SICK SICK The buses are filled with children and their parents all ready to watch...all set in a circle so the poor animals cant escape anywhere...they they bring bring a van into the circle and drop out about 5 zebra etc...the lions and tigers start attacking and the children and their families love it.Where as we buy animal food in a bag to feed the duck...they buy live stock....chickens etc and drop them out of a hole in the side of the bus and laugh as tigers rip them apart. Its totally disgusting and im glad i don't know a person who enjoys that.urgh sick sick sickos.

YES...these animal would normally kill this way in the wild...but my point is...they are not in the wild,they have been captured by us humans put into a zoo to be viewed and enjoyed by members of the public. It is our duty to feed them look after them and sometimes even nurture them.However i don't feel some do that in a justifiable way.its not right.its sick.And that's my opinion.

I am not being racist here...........racist (imo).... is being prejudice against someone for colour etc.....and i am not.Im not bothered weather they are white, black, green, pink, blue, etc....they can be welsh for i care and living next door to me.....its sick...and that as nothing to do with being racist.Its all about being humane. And that type of behavior is frowned upon by most of the world...so imo its inhumane!

even the governments know its wrong that why they put it on the news and told people it was disturbing. Why let it happen then???? huh...i tell ya why..this deluded world as gone crazy and our governments are allowing it to happen. Anyone who sees fit to enjoy watching another living thing go through painful death that way is not normal. But then to eat it?????OMG!!!!

Marilyn, you mentioned Pigs and cute little Piglets. Isn't it strange that we all, none Muslims and Jews, enjoy eating Pork, especially Bacon 'butties', and yet rarely, if indeed ever, stop to consider that Pigs are of almost identical genetic engineering as us humans, hence the recent medical practice of using their 'spare parts' for human transplantation purposes. You could say every time we eat a 'Pork chop' or Bacon sandwich it's like eating slices of our cousins anatomy. But who cares, unlike all vegitarians I have the rather distasteful ability of turning a blind eye and switching off my concience to such 'trivial' matters, we humans are after all Carnivors and need to nurish our bodies at the expense of other animals. And after all, given the chance, would a Pig, wild or otherwise, turn its 'snout' up at a tasty 'Leg of human' cooked or in its natural raw state of delicacy? And how about these other awful 'uneducated' and less 'moralistic' foreigners than us 'whities' (Westerners) who think nothing of eating Apes and Monkey's, now they really are eating their closely related intellectual cousins aren't they! But come to think of it Marilyn, were we to be bordering on the verge of absolute starvation would we really think twice about eating our next door neighbours, especially if we were not over fond of them in the first place?
Alroy.

This was the tiger zoo i was talking about in my last post.It isnt nice.I saw this on the news one day...the bbc were reporting it and were disgusted at the treatment of these animals. It should be stopped.The cows have no choice they are tipped out of a truck...falling into a field of tigers...surrounded by bus after bus after bus full of onlookers laughing and cheering as they fight for survival.Its the reason i lost it a little in my last post. This is inhumane imo. Just adds to the rest of the madness going on out there .....cats being eaten on dinner plates etc.urgh.nasty.

remove this video if you fell its not to be here.I just thought that maybe it would give you an idea of how sick i feel about the way they treat animals over there. And how imo some poeple have no regards at all for the welfare or care of animals around them. These animals need to be saved from these a@ssholes.




https://www.youtube.com/v/3Xv8QO4VPPw

ive taken the video off here....but the link is below to it.The video is taped by an America group of boys.....it was the same though i saw on the news...exact same park etc and feeding frenzy

I agree, these animals should be saved from those b*****ds.

Hi Claire .. I had seen that video sometime ago .. and it is like feeding Christians to the Lions for entertainment in bygone days. This educates children to Not have compassion for other creatures and it is appalling.

It's also wrong to think the animal kingdom kills quickly & cleanly .. not always, it can be clumsy, slow and agonising too. But I don't believe animals kill for pleasure, only Humans do that.

When a cat seemingly torments a mouse, it is practicing its hunting skills .. not having fun.

Alroy : the list is selective, just like us humans are, and there is no consensus globally. I am repelled by chimps, apes, gorillas & such but would not want to see them hurt for any reason. Contrary-wise I am also repelled by reptiles and think they make great shoes and handbags. But I still would not want them to be killed cruelly. Dolphins look like sharks from the back but they are mammals and intelligent .. they get slaughtered too.

Humans are supposed to have built-in compassion, i.e. to not wish to cause, or witness, any suffering and that should be the thing which elevates us from the animal world where it is all about food and pity doesn't come into it .. there are exceptions of course. No consensus on acceptable food worldwide .. and never will be. Remember the mountain aircrash in the Andes and the few survivors were reduced to cannibalizing the dead ?? I don't blame them at all as no-one was killed by the survivors and they had no choice, other than to die of starvation, until rescue came many many months later. However, not all would do it and they died.

Hi mrilyn,

your absolutely right.Infact that very video i posted above was a home made one form someone in one of the buses watching.The bbc reported it on the tv not long back...about 6 months or so ago and in the report they stated that they allowed a cow to be dropped from one of the vans into the field and that it took around 12 minuits for the cow to actually stop screaming even after that there was movement in its legs as the tigers continued tearing into it.It was terribly upsetting to watch.Appartently the bbc had countless calls from concerned members of the public to. The children in the buses were allowed to feed the tigers..only not in the same we we would...We might buy some dried food to throw the cages of the monkey enclosure,but there they buy live chickens and the children and adults post them through a letter box type opening of the bus and they fall into the hungry moths of the tigers.....the poor animals are terrified as they squashed into these boxes...they fighting for all they are worth to get free...and just as they feel the fresh air on the other side of the bus they are mauled by tigers.Its awful.The families are all watching and laughing at them....videoing them and photographing them.Something isn't right when an adult can watch a animal die in pain like that...but to allow your children to view it and even involve them it is is appalling to say the very least.

My little princess loves animals and i know 100% if she was to even know that this was going on it would upset her.If she were to watch it on tv or in real life i would imagine it would scar her for life. She would be truly distraught by it for ever.

Whats the world coming to in this day and age when things like this are still going on in parts of our so called civilised world? Have people no consideration. Like i said its natural for animal to fight for food in the wild...but they are not in the wild.They are in a zoo. They don't need to fight for food.In the uk fresh meat is hung on ropes high up or hidden sometimes so that tigers etc can climb,jump,maul and hunt their dinner giving them some sort of natural feeling that they are finding and serving their own lunch.

It all boils down to ...should we have the right to take these animals from their natural surroundings and enclose them in a zoo???If we do then do we have the right to act like an animal on their behalf and proceed to hunt and feed live animals to them. Im not sure who im most upset with...the b@astards that are feeding the animals to the tigers or the insane families watched and cheering at it happening.

In the wild another animal grazing in a field would sense danger and run...it would try to defend for itself sometimes getting away sometimes not.And they learn to not graze in certain areas because they know that tigers are near etc.....In these Chinese zoos they are taken by a van which throws them into the teeth of a whole bunch of waiting tigers.Its not nature at all is it?Its cruel.

And people say humans are civilised? The only ones for me who are truly civilised are the ones who help worthy causes.