Chinese Love Cat Meat

(Nanjing, China) In the southern province of Guangdong, demand for cat meat is following a growing curiosity about the taste.

As a consequence, prices are high and the supply is scarce. Purloining of pussies for sale to restaurants is rampant.

Sources await remarks from the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) and weathered vegetarian spokesperson, Pam Anderson.

The fondness for eating dogs in northern China is well known, but cats are also prized in the country's south. One of the most famous Cantonese dishes is "Tiger and Dragon locked in Battle", in which the flavours of cat and snake vie for attention.

The Cantonese appetite has already made cats scarce and expensive in Guangdong itself, forcing restaurants to look elsewhere for a steady supply. Nanjing, with its excellent transport links and central position in China, has emerged as the hub of cat trading.

"There has definitely been an increase. There are far fewer cats around," said Chen Nanyan, 27, an activist with the Ping-An-A-Fu animal shelter.

"Because of the bad economy, more and more people have turned to cat-snatching. You don't need to be skilled – you just bait a box with some meat and wait.

"It happens all over Nanjing. There is nothing illegal about taking cats. If you try and call the police, they will not help you. You can take cats with collars without any problems."

Thousands of cats are transported nightly on trains from Nanjing to Guangdong. With crate upon crate of screaming cats, the supply train has been operating for about four years.