10 countries where they eat cat and dog meat (2020)

OPINION PLEASE NOTE – DISAGREE? TELL ME PLEASE: It may surprise people to know that there are 10 countries where cat and dog meat (or cat or dog meat) is still on the menu. Although Taiwan has just banned it which is a good sign that in the Far East there is a gradual shift, I believe, against eating cat and dog meat. There appears to be a gradual infiltration of Western ideas into Far Eastern cultures but I may be mistaken. I just sense it. There are also some wonderful animal advocates working tirelessly on the ground in China to rescue cats and dogs scheduled for the cat and dog meat markets in the south. The presence of these advocates must give hope to people like me that one day (not soon I’m sure) there will be a culture shift against this practice.

India

The first country that I will mention it India. In certain villages in India in Tamil Naidu in the area of Krishnagiri you still might find people eating cat meat. I have written about it and the citizens of India don’t like me writing about it perhaps because it embarrasses them and they think I’m being racist. Well I’m just reporting what I read about and the truth. Has it changed since I wrote about it? Please tell me in a comment.

America

It is a mistake to think that it is only in the Far East and the East that cat and dog meat is on the menu. You will find that in certain corners of America cat and dog meat is still eaten as far as I am aware. For example, in Hawaii they think they have a problem with feral cats, and perhaps dogs. There is some evidence that cat and dog meat is on the menu in this state of America. Apparently there was an attempt to ban it through legislation but the effort was shelved because of a lack of evidence that it took place. My research indicates that Senate Bill 2026 would have protected cats and dogs from being eaten by the citizens of Hawaii. The bill was defeated in the final days of its passage through the legislature. An activist, Jane Shiraki of Oahu, said that she has been in the presence of people killing dogs for their consumption and some were killed for commercial purposes. She reports that one person killed 300 dogs in one year. Any dog of any breed or type is on the menu. In 2014 I reported that they were pushing for a ban on dog and cat meat consumption. But in 2017 there were plans to starve feral cats. Their predation on birds upsets the authorities.

America has put pressure on China to curb the eating of cattle dog breed. A pleasant development but one which will no doubt be completely ignored by China.

Miscellaneous – occasional

I’m told that historically, in times of food shortages and under emergency conditions, dogs have been consumed in Alaska, Siberia, northern Canada and Greenland.

South Korea

South Korea appears to be addicted to eating cat and dog meat. It is a $2 billion a year industry in the country. They are consumed as a health food and they believe that eating dog on the warmest days of the year helps to make them feel cooler. The animals are killed brutally. For me, and this is my personal opinion, it is shocking to report that South Korea can kill cats and dogs brutally for the purpose of their consumption. This is a developed country which sells billions in dollars of high-tech equipment to the rest of the world and yet their animal welfare laws cannot satisfactorily protect pets from this brutality! What is going on?

If South Korea has such an addictive attitude towards eating cats and dogs I would expect the same to take place in North Korea where I have read that the economy can be so bad that citizens sometimes end up eating grass because they are starving.

French Polynesia

French Polynesia has a long history of eating cats and dogs. Apparently Captain Cook and his crew ate cat and dog when they arrived on the islands. They tried to convince the people to end the practice and treat cats and dogs as pets but they persisted with this aspect of their culture.

Switzerland

Switzerland is not in the European Union and therefore their cats and dogs are not protected by EU laws. It is surprising to report that in this well-developed, rich country, I’m told that farmers in the mountains sometimes slaughter cats and dogs for human consumption. They consider Rottweiler to be particularly attractive because it tastes like beef. Consumption is also quite popular in the Rhine Valley and dog lard is sometimes used for medicinal purposes in this pleasant country. Please click the link to read more on this. In 2013 there was a lucrative black market in domestic cat pelts. And Switzerland has been a European center for the fur trade. Not so squeaky clean then?

Vietnam

Vietnam has a huge history of eating cat and dog meat. The business is booming. You see some truly gruesome and grisly photographs on the Internet (and you won’t find it hard to find them) of cats and dogs hanging up on hooks above street vendors’ stalls. I can’t bring myself to look at them. That is my personal view and I accept the views of others by the way. There is a very lucrative black market trade and dog meat can sell for around $10 per kilogram. It is used in stews and served up in a soup of blood. You can buy barbecued dog with lemongrass and ginger or steamed dog with shrimp paste source or skewered and marinated in chilis and coriander. Read more if you can bear it……