Police rescue hundreds of cats from being eaten in Vietnam with bust of major animal theft ring

Police in Vietnam seized more than 400 cats in a major bust of a cat meat crime ring, according to animal welfare groups and local media reports.

Police in Vietnam seized more than 400 cats in a major bust of a cat meat crime ring in Ho Chi Minh City, according to animal welfare groups and local media reports.

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More than 40 of the rescued cats were reunited with their owners following the multiday operation last week, but several dozen of those rescued have died due to the harsh conditions that they were found in, the groups said.

This operation is “a sobering reminder of the enormous scale of Vietnam’s cat meat trade,” Karanvir Kukreja, who leads a campaign against dog and cat meat consumption for the international nonprofit Humane World for Animals, said in a statement.