NationStates Jolt Archive

http://today.reuters.com/news/newsarticle.aspx?type=oddlyEnoughNews&storyid=2006-06-19T131415Z_01_PEK331544_RTRUKOC_0_US-CHINA-CATS.xml&src=rss&rpc=22

Well, I would have thrown up, rather than cried, on finding a skinned cat in the refrigerator.

BEIJING (Reuters) - Banner-wielding animal rights protesters swarmed into a restaurant serving cat meat in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen and forced it to shut, Xinhua news agency said Sunday.

The 40 or so, mainly female demonstrators -- holding banners reading "cats and dogs are friends of human beings" -- entered the Fangji Cat Meatball restaurant and demanded the owner free any live cats on the premises, Xinhua said.

There were none in the building, as the owner had already moved them out, it said. But some burst into tears upon finding a skinned cat in a fridge.

What did the animal rights protesters think they would find? Live cats in a place that turns them into meatballs?

Well, the story did say "There were none in the building, as the owner had already moved them out," so I guess there had been some live ones in there at some point. When I lived in San Francisco, I saw live animals being brought into restaurants in Chinatown more than once--chickens, not cats, but the premise is the same. They were slaughtering the animals on site.

Dear god, i have what 5 or 6 cats i neglect to remember how many at this exact moment, and i couldn't care less whether someone is eating farmed cats (obviously not feral or pet cats thats poaching and stealing respectively).

Once you move past the moral grey area of eating animals in the first place, eating cats and dogs is really a non-issue. Just because someone happens to find them cute does not mean you should be banned from eating them. I myself happen to find all the meats i like the most the cutest when whole and its not going to stop me.

Some people quite honestly, words fail me.

Well, the story did say "There were none in the building, as the owner had already moved them out," so I guess there had been some live ones in there at some point. When I lived in San Francisco, I saw live animals being brought into restaurants in Chinatown more than once--chickens, not cats, but the premise is the same. They were slaughtering the animals on site.
I've read stories about visitors in China being asked to pick their chicken, in the same way you might pick a lobster in a restaurant here. The selected chicken would then be slaughted there and then.

Mind you, it's a bit silly to try and detach the food you eat from a live animal. If you can't accept that your chicken burger didn't just appear in a packaged box, then you probably shouldn't eat meat.

I've read stories about visitors in China being asked to pick their chicken, in the same way you might pick a lobster in a restaurant here. The selected chicken would then be slaughted there and then.

Mind you, it's a bit silly to try and detach the food you eat from a live animal. If you can't accept that your chicken burger didn't just appear in a packaged box, then you probably shouldn't eat meat.
I agree completely. When I was seven, we moved from the Houston burbs to the Louisiana countryside and my parents were convinced by our neighbors to buy a calf from a dairy auction. We raised it from bottle-feeding to feed and grazing size until it was about 6 months old. My parents told my sister and me not to get attached to it, so we named it "Steak." It's a little disturbing now that I look back at it, but there was never any doubt about knowing from whence our hamburgers came. We wound up doing it twice more.

Mind you, it's a bit silly to try and detach the food you eat from a live animal. If you can't accept that your chicken burger didn't just appear in a packaged box, then you probably shouldn't eat meat.
Agreed. (And not even a facetious comment about detaching meat from a live animal ;) )
Quite a lot of people don't seem to understand it, though... Probably 'cos they live in an urban area and rarely see animals on farms; the only time they see cows is in slices through clingfilm.

I agree completely. When I was seven, we moved from the Houston burbs to the Louisiana countryside and my parents were convinced by our neighbors to buy a calf from a dairy auction. We raised it from bottle-feeding to feed and grazing size until it was about 6 months old. My parents told my sister and me not to get attached to it, so we named it "Steak." It's a little disturbing now that I look back at it, but there was never any doubt about knowing from whence our hamburgers came. We wound up doing it twice more.

I think that's where the problem is, really.
Personally, I couldn't eat a cat. I've been to closely attached to too many cats in my life, the mere thought makes me nauseous. I wouldn't have a problem with dog, though.
That's not to say that I would tell others not to eat cat, provided the animals were farmed in acceptable conditions. The article said that those cats were taken from the streets, though, which is not only a health hazard, but also theft and cruel on the owners.

I think that's where the problem is, really.
Personally, I couldn't eat a cat. I've been to closely attached to too many cats in my life, the mere thought makes me nauseous. I wouldn't have a problem with dog, though.
That's not to say that I would tell others not to eat cat, provided the animals were farmed in acceptable conditions. The article said that those cats were taken from the streets, though, which is not only a health hazard, but also theft and cruel on the owners.
I'd have a problem with either, unless I was starving. It's part of my conditioning, I'd imagine--cats and dogs are pets, not food. As for the cats in the article, I doubt many were pets--my guess is that they were strays.

I don't have a problem with a restaurant that serve cat as long as they call it cat. If I see "Baked Stuffed Cat" on the menu that's fine. I can order chicken.

I have a problem with ordering chicken and getting slices of cat instead. That pisses me off. :mad:

I'd have a problem with either, unless I was starving. It's part of my conditioning, I'd imagine--cats and dogs are pets, not food. As for the cats in the article, I doubt many were pets--my guess is that they were strays.

Would you eat rabbit, though?
Well, if they were strays I would worry about diseases, really.

Mind you, it's a bit silly to try and detach the food you eat from a live animal. If you can't accept that your chicken burger didn't just appear in a packaged box, then you probably shouldn't eat meat.
Hoorah! I most heartily agree.

I don't eat meat, and I always get wound up by people who only ever eat pre-packed sausages and lasagne from the supermarket telling me I'm a wuss. If you go out and shoot it, skin it and gut it yourself, then you've every right to sneer at veggies. Otherwise, you're just like me, only a hypocrite.

I'm not particularly sympathetic to fish though. Salmon and Trout are tastier than they are cute. :)

I don't fish myself, but yopu can't detach yourself from the fact that your dinner used to be alive when it's fact is still there, staring at you... :p

I don't have a problem with a restaurant that serve cat as long as they call it cat. If I see "Baked Stuffed Cat" on the menu that's fine. I can order chicken.

I have a problem with ordering chicken and getting slices of cat instead. That pisses me off. :mad:

You can't pass of cat as chicken, the meat is too dark. But my grandparents told me that cat meat must be amazingly similar to rabbit. Once you skinned them, they even look the same. Some of the old people in Germany will sometimes still call cats "Dachhasen" (rooftop rabbits)...

Would you eat rabbit, though?
Well, if they were strays I would worry about diseases, really.
I have before, and would again, although it wasn't my favorite. Rabbits are pets to some, I know, but I've never looked at them that way, probably because I grew up in a culture where rabbit (and squirrel) were the first game most of my friends hunted, so the default was food rather than pets.

I've read stories about visitors in China being asked to pick their chicken, in the same way you might pick a lobster in a restaurant here. The selected chicken would then be slaughted there and then.

Mind you, it's a bit silly to try and detach the food you eat from a live animal. If you can't accept that your chicken burger didn't just appear in a packaged box, then you probably shouldn't eat meat.


I dont think its so much to detach food from a live animal- I think its more that having a live animal on the premises and slaughtering it there increases the risk of contamination- feathers, waste, etc...

The actual slaughter should be kept seperate from the place that fresh food is prepared.

You can't pass of cat as chicken, the meat is too dark. But my grandparents told me that cat meat must be amazingly similar to rabbit. Once you skinned them, they even look the same. Some of the old people in Germany will sometimes still call cats "Dachhasen" (rooftop rabbits)...
Rabbit, eh? Rabbit's tasty.

Right, that's it. Next time Bubble (my malevolent moggy) headbuts my mug and pours tea all over me he's getting casseroled!

Just kidding :)

Probably...

when I was a kid, there was a Chinese buffet restaurant that had health code violations and was shut down more than once.
My friend and I decided we'd prank call them when they were re-opened.
I asked if they were still going to serve cat-the man with heavy Chinese accent said it is too much work to get meat from cat-not worth it.

I felt like Bart Simpson with a prank call gone awry.

You can't pass of cat as chicken, the meat is too dark. But my grandparents told me that cat meat must be amazingly similar to rabbit. Once you skinned them, they even look the same. Some of the old people in Germany will sometimes still call cats "Dachhasen" (rooftop rabbits)...
Yeah, I've heard that roof rabbit was also a term used in wartime England during rationing. Apparantly a lot of cats went missing back then.

Anyway, I can't really see anything wrong with eating cats. Maybe I'd feel differently if I owned a cat, but I don't see why one species should have a different set of rules to another. And if cats were regularly consumed in the west, society would think nothing of it. Though I don't think cats are particularly suitable as a food animal. I've heard that you can't get a lot of meat off a cat. You can fatten one up, but apparantly the feed to weight gain conversion ratio is much less efficient than in an animal like a pig or chicken.

And here's an interesting article on the consumption of cat meat. (http://www.messybeast.com/eat-cats.htm)

Rabbit, eh? Rabbit's tasty.

Right, that's it. Next time Bubble (my malevolent moggy) headbuts my mug and pours tea all over me he's getting casseroled!

Just kidding :)

Probably...

I know you're kidding... you'd eat him raw.

You can't pass of cat as chicken, the meat is too dark. But my grandparents told me that cat meat must be amazingly similar to rabbit. Once you skinned them, they even look the same. Some of the old people in Germany will sometimes still call cats "Dachhasen" (rooftop rabbits)...
I remember seeing some wild hares in Germany that looked as large as a large dog.

I remember seeing some wild hares in Germany that looked as large as a large dog.

I've seen dogs the size of calfs... surely you haven't seen calf-sized hares??

I remember seeing some wild hares in Germany that looked as large as a large dog.
It's surprising just how huge hares are. Most people seem to assume that they're not going to be much bigger than a rabbit. But I was shocked the first time I saw one. For a split second I thought it was a baby deer.

I've seen dogs the size of calfs... surely you haven't seen calf-sized hares??
I remember seeing a large hare at least a meter long (while running, with forelegs extended forwards and rear legs extended rearward), running at about 60 kph alongside my vehicle on a dirt road in a forest.

It took me a few seconds to figure out what it was.

Sitting still, it was a little more compact (but by no means a small animal). Looked like it weighed about 20 kilos.

I know you're kidding... you'd eat him raw.
More flavoursome that way. Just a little black pepper!

Anyway, I can't really see anything wrong with eating cats. Maybe I'd feel differently if I owned a cat, but I don't see why one species should have a different set of rules to another. I agree, which is why I'm all for the consumption of human meat.

I agree, which is why I'm all for the consumption of human meat.
Now we know what to do with all those pesky insurgents.

That's not to say that I would tell others not to eat cat, provided the animals were farmed in acceptable conditions. The article said that those cats were taken from the streets, though, which is not only a health hazard, but also theft and cruel on the owners.
You assume they even had owners.

I remember seeing a large hare at least a meter long (while running, with forelegs extended forwards and rear legs extended rearward), running at about 60 kph alongside my vehicle on a dirt road in a forest.

It took me a few seconds to figure out what it was.

Sitting still, it was a little more compact (but by no means a small animal). Looked like it weighed about 20 kilos.

Camping in northern Arizona, I saw coyotes all the time.
One morning-I saw something about 50 feet away that I thought was another curious coyote. When I got a little closer, I saw it was a tremendous-"jackrabbit" I guess. It was on its hind legs only,very upright- much larger than any rabbit I had ever seen.

and it was as fast as hell-when it took off, it was literally a brown blur.

You assume they even had owners.

I am and owner, although not one living in China. I would be more than a little distressed if some thug decided to kill my cat... :mad:

Speaking of big rabblits, look at is pawn! (Took from an article in a local newspaper)

http://img83.imageshack.us/img83/9492/lapin0ey.png

I am and owner, although not one living in China. I would be more than a little distressed if some thug decided to kill my cat... :mad:


Where I live now, there is a pet hospital two doors down from a pretty fancy chinese restaurant. My kids joke about it every time we drive by.
We never eat there. I dont want cat liver in my dumplings.

Surprise everyone! Meat comes from live animals. And for all you vegans out there: Plants are living things too:eek:

I used to work in a chinese resturant, and one of the standing jokes was why there were so many stray dogs and cats around when we opened, but there were none around at closing. The boss hated those jokes (Looking back, I wonder if they were jokes:eek: )

I also noted when I would walk to school in the mornings that there were dogs that had followed the students, and by the afternoon, the were all gone. I really hope they just went back home. Considering cafeteria food, I'm not all that sure.

And for all you vegans out there: Plants are living things too:eek:
Golly, there's some new information. :rolleyes: :p

I've never heard a vegan suggest otherwise, have you? The moral aspect of veganism is relates to animals, not all living things.

I am and owner, although not one living in China. I would be more than a little distressed if some thug decided to kill my cat... :mad:
Yes, because there are no feral cats wondering around cities, no sirree.

Yes, because there are no feral cats wondering around cities, no sirree.

No, the homeless usually take care of that problem.