Despite the consumption of cat meat being illegal, Vietnam’s emerging middle class has a taste for exotic, expensive meats.
Cats are traditionally viewed as a source of strength and potency and is praised for its delicate taste.
Consequently, thousands of pet cats are snatched every year from homes across Vietnam and the southern provinces of China, where traders have been quick to capitalise on their neighbours’ appetite.
Like the dog-meat restaurants Vietnam has long been notorious for, cat restaurants present a harsh and terrifying environment for the animals, which are kept in crowded cages before their slaughter.
Cat meat is often eaten out of superstition in Vietnam.
Eating such meat at the start of each month is believed to ward off bad luck. Howeve,r this must be repeated every month to keep the bad luck away.
Michelle Brown, CEO of Fight Dog Meat charity released the heartbreaking pictures in an effort to raise awareness of the barbaric cat meat trade in Vietnam.