Cat fight over China's feline meat trade

In China, the trade in live cat meat is thriving. By some estimates, 10 000 cats are sold and eaten every day in one city alone - mainly served up as kebabs or in Chinese-style hotpot.

For many Chinese people - especially in the country's south - eating cat is a perfectly normal tradition.

But now, the eating of cat meat has become a cultural battleground in China as animal rights activists face off against traditionalists.



It is also highlighted 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.

Cat protection groups have sprung up in cities across China.

Frustrated by their government, they stage their own raids - storming into restaurants and markets, attempting to shame people out of eating cat.

Full story here, with link to a graphic video.