Saved from the slaughterhouse

Tragic meat trade cats rescued by charity

- NADA FARHOUD 

ONCE destined for the dinner table, these are the cats rescued from a brutal slaughterhouse and now living in loving homes. 

Malnourished and dehydrated after days without food and water, the traumatised pets were crammed into tiny cages soon to be killed.

They were among 197 found after police raided the largest warehouse operation in southern Vietnamese province Dong Thap earlier this year.

But thanks to charity Soi Dog, which successfully fought to end the cat and dog meat trade in Thailand in 2014, the animals were moved to a safe house and given medical care.

The rescue began when the group’s director of international advocacy, Rahul Sehgal, learned four tons of frozen cat meat – 2,000 animals – had been seized by police in Vietnam.

This slaughterhouse, equipped with industrial machinery, had been killing up to 500 cats a day for 10 years.

Rahul said: “We will never know exactly what the cats experienced but their condition gave us a devastating insight.

“Many were injured from being forced into crates. The scenes were heartbreaking.”

Resident Le Bich Tram let her home be used as a hospital for nearly 200 cats. Vets worked around the clock to administer fluids, dress wounds and bottle-feed kittens.