Cat lovers save felines destined for restaurants

[karrie]

Chinese cat lovers block truck shipping felines to restaurants
Tue Jul 10, 5:32 AM
SHANGHAI, China (AP) - Chinese cat lovers mobilized online to save a truck load of cats from the cooking pot, a newspaper reported Tuesday.
Veteran Shanghai cat rescuer Duo Zirong started off her mission of deliverance on Friday when she called police to stop a truck stuffed with some 800 live cats, the China Daily said. The standoff happened at a parking lot in a southern suburb of Shanghai. It continued for hours while cat lovers spread word of the incident online, eventually raising the equivalent of US$1,320 in donations to buy the whole load.
They now hope to place them in homes after posting their pictures and profiles on the Internet.
"They were so frightened," it quoted one of the rescuers, Huo Puyang, as saying.
"Some bit people when they tried to let them out of the boxes. Some still hide in dark corners and will not come out for food," Huo said.
Cat meat is considered a delicacy in southern China and cats are sold live to markets where they are slaughtered fresh for customers.

 

[shadowshiv]

My posts went *poof*!

Regarding this, I can't really say anything bad about them eating cats, as it is their culture over there. However, there could certainly be a more humane way of transporting them and preparing them than what is evidenced in the article.

 

[karrie]

My posts went *poof*!

Regarding this, I can't really say anything bad about them eating cats, as it is their culture over there. However, there could certainly be a more humane way of transporting them and preparing them than what is evidenced in the article.

Yes, juan deleted the thread when I put up the new one. My bad entirely. Silly formatting issues.

But I agree.

And it seems to me that protesting to save one specific animal seems funny, especially when it's one that is so plentiful.

 

[RomSpaceKnight]

My posts went *poof*!

Regarding this, I can't really say anything bad about them eating cats, as it is their culture over there. However, there could certainly be a more humane way of transporting them and preparing them than what is evidenced in the article.

I've worked in the chicken industry. The conditions that chickens are shipped around in in pretty bad. Old laying hens destined for pet food are in abyssmal condition before they are yanked out of cages and put 16 per cage. Then stacked on transport trucks for drive to slaughter house.

I don't think I could slaughter or eat a cat or dog. When it comes down to it they are no different then cattle or pigs but after being a pet owner and considering them my best buds, no way.

 

[Twila]

I think humane treatment of all livestock should be manditory.

 

[shadowshiv]

For sure, but it won't happen unless they are forced to do so.

 

[karrie]

I don't think I could slaughter or eat a cat or dog. When it comes down to it they are no different then cattle or pigs but after being a pet owner and considering them my best buds, no way.

I grew up on a farm. I played with calves, gave the bull belly scratches. I don't think of them as any different from cats and/or dogs. While I could never eat an animal I'd bonded with, or one that was someone else's pet (save for extreme circumstances), eating an animal that was raised as food doesn't give me any pause at all, be it pig, sheep, goat, rabbit, or even cat or dog.

 

[mabudon]

Yeah, being vegetarian these stories always make me laugh, I really do see no difference between my doggie and goats and pigs- animals are only for eating if you run out of everything else (or if the animals ATE everything else)

I find it weird, really weird, that folks can trick themselves into seeing any difference between "food grade" animals and "plain ol" animals

 

[Twila]

I find it weird, really weird, that folks can trick themselves into seeing any difference between "food grade" animals and "plain ol" animals

That's our human arragance. Thinking all the time how much better we are then those lowly animals...all the while proving how inhumane we are. Isn't it funny that the word Inhumane has the word human in it? It's becoming an oxi moron.

 

[karrie]

Isn't it funny that the word Inhumane has the word human in it? It's becoming an oxi moron.

I don't get it.

 

[Twila]

I don't get it

That's because I screwed up. I meant Humane. Isnt' it funny how the word humane has the word human in it.

 

[karrie]

That's because I screwed up. I meant Humane. Isnt' it funny how the word humane has the word human in it.

Ah, okay. I see! lol.

 

[smilingfish]

I'm from China and I live in Shanghai(the city as in that report) right now.

As far as I know, there's no restaurant would ever tell people they cook cat meat in here, if they do such things, they do it secretly. Nobody would want to eat cat, at least in Shanghai. It's not because of "humane" reason, people say cat meat is sour.

Sometimes I just think humane is too funny.

The law of nature is not humane, actually it's full of stories of killing. If you watch Animal Planet, you'll know what I mean. Have you seen how a bear eats a fish? Have seen how a lion catches an antelope? How do males fight against each other to death to get females? If you don't know, watch some Animal Planet.

Although, when you are in a society, be it a human society, or a zebra society,you need to care about each other so that everybody will be saver, and we call the caring "humane". Humane means you care about the other members of your society, you feel for them.

I don't eat cat or dog because they've ever lived with me, like my babies and friends, so in my opinion, they're already a part of our "human society". Some people eat dogs because dogs are not humans so they don't think it's a part of our society. Now which one is more correct? There's no answer.

On the other hand, sometimes I just think people should not eat so much meat. It's not about humane, it's about obeying the law of nature. Look at our teeth, they're not designed to eat meat, it's for grain and vegetables.

Although we can eat a little bit meat because we have small canine teeth,and our intestines are kinda shorter than total vegetarian animals. Only a little bit.

So, for me, rice is the main food, then vegetables, then a little bit meat or sometimes no meat. That's the typical Chinese diet which keeps Chinese people healthy so you see less fat guys among us. But, too bad, nowadays people prefer meat more than grain and vegetables, and obesity is becoming a problem in China too. Punishment of the Nature.

 

[Dreadful Nonsense]

Ok what does Halal entail...I heard they hang goats and cows up side down and slit their throats alive so the heart pumps out all the blood...is this true..if so it does not sound humane...

 

[smilingfish]

Ok what does Halal entail...I heard they hang goats and cows up side down and slit their throats alive so the heart pumps out all the blood...is this true..if so it does not sound humane...

Depends on how you define "humane".

It does sound horrible but I guess that's exactly the way(or much milder than) how your own ancestors kill animals. Actually it's realatively the easiest and quickest way to kill a mammal, um...before you guys invented the electric thing.

Things like that happen everyday in wild kingdom. Even my little cat once slit a chick's throat before I caught him.

Humanity is good. But aren't people thinking too much about humanity and too little about the law of the nature?

There're many more important things to care about. Pollution, and killing wild animals out of human's real needs, these are against the law of the nature.

 

[smilingfish]

Muslims don't eat pork, Hindus don't eat beef, westerners don't eat dogs...

well I'm telling you, pigs are actually smart animals, some are smarter than dogs, sometimes cows cry before they die, and some of them are loyal to humans too, so...

Anyway, as a real Chinese, I don't think eating cats is a "custom" in here though. Instead, my colleagues warn me sometimes the roasted mutton cubes were actually cat meat(the vendors want to save money I guess), so we don't even eat roasted mutton cubes now. For us, eating cats is just sick,because people think cat meat is sour.

So this story is not about fighting against a weird custom, it's about fighting against selling fake mutton.

Maybe the reporter didn't really ask Huo, he/she just thought: well I hear that some Chinese eat dogs, so eating cats must be their custom too. I thought only reporters of our dear P ARTY did such kind of things. Sounds like everybody is the same.

 

[Twila]

Ok what does Halal entail...I heard they hang goats and cows up side down and slit their throats alive so the heart pumps out all the blood...is this true..if so it does not sound humane...

They're unconcious. We use to sell our male kids...baby goats to the greek restaurant down the road and this is the practice they used.

 

[IdRatherBeSkiing]

Yeah, being vegetarian these stories always make me laugh, I really do see no difference between my doggie and goats and pigs- animals are only for eating if you run out of everything else (or if the animals ATE everything else)

I find it weird, really weird, that folks can trick themselves into seeing any difference between "food grade" animals and "plain ol" animals

If I had gotten to know the cow, I could not eat the steak. Which is why I get to know few cows.

Humans are omnivorous. We can eat meat. There is nothing wrong with it. If you chose not to, fine. But I refuse to feel guilty about eating a nice big slab of prime rib.

 

[Twila]

But I refuse to feel guilty about eating a nice big slab of prime rib.

How about if you knew this animal lived with 100,000 others on a tiny piece of land living muck and mud? Would you feel bad knowing this animal was treated no better then ****? I would. I do. I chose beef that lived in a field of grass without being over crowded. I think we all should feel quilty for supporting industrial meat producers and not local farmers

 

[IdRatherBeSkiing]

How about if you knew this animal lived with 100,000 others on a tiny piece of land living muck and mud? Would you feel bad knowing this animal was treated no better then ****? I would. I do. I chose beef that lived in a field of grass without being over crowded. I think we all should feel quilty for supporting industrial meat producers and not local farmers

The quality of life of the cow is usually not given with the description of the prime rib on the menu. I can only assume that the cow was raised and slaughtered according to govt regulations.

I believe we should have standards protecting the animals while they are alive. Where those regulations are lacking, I would support changing them.

But I am still going to eat my prime rib when the appetite for it strikes me.