In Vietnam: A restaurant that kills 300 cats a month closes its doors

A Vietnamese restaurant that kills up to 300 cats a month over a soup recipe has closed its doors in Vietnam at the request of its owner.

Mr. Pham Quoc Duanh has been running his own cat meat restaurant and slaughterhouse in Thai Nguyen township for five years, according to the Humane Society International (HSI) website. Each month, he drowned up to 300 cats a month to serve customers a dish called “thịt mèo” (cat meat).

The 37-year-old particularly lamented the slaughter of mainly stolen pets. The restaurant's closure is part of a program launched by HSI to end this trade in Vietnam.

About twenty cats and kittens were rescued at the beginning of December. They were placed for adoption.

“It's overwhelming”

The owner himself contacted the organization to benefit from financial support to finish his business. Mr. Pham Quoc Duanh decided to open a grocery store to earn a living. He wants to ban the trade in dog and cat meat in the country.

“For some time now, I have felt a real desire to leave the cruel cat meat business and move on to something else as quickly as possible,” the lead interested party said in an HSI press release. “When I think of the thousands of cats I have slaughtered and served here over the years, I am in awe.”

He added: “Cat theft is very common in Vietnam, and I know that most of the cats sold here were the family's favorite companion, and I am very sorry about that.” I am happy to know that thanks to HSI, my wife and I can now leave the cat meat business behind and start over, continuing to serve my local community.

The HSI program was launched last year. In Thai Nguyen, it has already become possible to close two slaughterhouses or two dog restaurants. According to HSI estimates, approximately one million cats are killed annually for their meat in Vietnam.