Hundreds of cats rescued from being eaten in China

Animal rights activists in Shanghai have rescued 300 cats from a dealer who was planning to sell the allegedly stolen pets to restaurants in southern China. The activists, acting on a tip-off from a cat lover, found 22 bamboo cages full of cats in a yard, from where they were to be shipped to Guangdong province,

Lai Xiaoyu, 34, who was one of those involved in Friday night's rescue, told the AFP news agency that most of the animals have been returned to their owners, but three cats died and some had broken legs. "They had clearly been abused," he said. "They were squeezed into such small cages. Some of the cages contained more than 20 cats. Two of these cats had been dead for a while when we found them.

"The cats were going to be delivered to Guangdong to go into a local soup called 'Tiger vs. Dragon' which is made with snake and cat." Restaurants pay about 50 yuan (£5) a cat.



More than 50 pet owners came looking for their lost cats on Friday night after the activists sent out a message on an internet forum. Some cats were adopted by animal lovers and others were released in areas where volunteers leave food for strays.

Police detained the cat dealer, Yang Baoguo, after he fought dozens of animal lovers who descended on the freight yard to break into his cages. The dealer was released after a few hours without charge because animal protection laws are non-existent in China.

"There is no law in China saying cats cannot be eaten," police officer Ma Yong was quoted as saying. "Cats are not a protected animal."