The story behind the cat meatball action

[Guest guest]

[see the page for links to the articles mentioned, two photos of the protest

and some of the horrible cat pics again]

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From EastSouthWestNorth

 

" Backtracking the developments which led to to the shutdown of the Shenzhen

restaurant that allowed customers to pick the cat to be slaughtered on the

curbside for their hotpot dinners. "

 

The Shenzhen Cat Meatball Restaurant

 

This is an exercise in reverse engineering. Specifically, we will trace the

steps backwards to when it first emerged into western public consciousness.

This exercise is less about cats and dogs than about the power of the

Internet to drive the mainstream media to forge public opinion pressure. A

local news report had no immediate impact, but the Internet response led to

actions and results that drew global attention.

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The June 19th report in Xinhua Net is here.

 

A restaurant specializing cat meat in Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong

Province, was forced to close Saturday after the protest of some 40

activists that drew a large crowd including children.

 

Isobel, founder of a cat-protection website based in Shenzhen and organizer

of the protest, and other activists started the protest at 4 p.m. with a

white rose on the chest in memory of the slaughtered cats, holding banners

and handing out handbills to denounce eating cats and dogs. Isobel, in her

30s, told Xinhua over telephone on Sunday that they chose the restaurant

Fangji Cat Meatball because it slaughtered cats in the street and " it is

very bad for the students from nearby schools " . One of the banners read

" cats and dogs are friends of human being. Have respect for lives by

stopping eating them please! "

 

In many parts of China especially the southern regions, people take cat meat

as their favorite diet. Previous reports said that in Guangzhou alone the

citizens ate 10,000 cats every day in the winter season. The activists,

mostly women, poured into the restaurant demanding its owner to set free the

cats. They burst into tears upon finding a skinned one in a fridge.

 

There were no live cats in the restaurant as the owner, according to an

eyewitness, relocated them to other places on Friday night. " I cannot go on

with my business, and I will not sell cat meat any more, " the restaurant

owner said after removing his shop sign from the wall. However, he persisted

in Guangdong there is a tradition in eating cats.

 

" We will continue to protest if this restaurant still sells cat meat, "

Isobel said. To her satisfaction, many students on the spot told Isobel

that they would keep a close watch on the restaurant and report to her if

anything happens to cats. Eating cats and dogs is often seen in Guangdong,

but " you cannot keep eating only because it is a tradition, " Isobel argued.

 

Miss Shenzhen for the year of 2005 Gao Haiyun also went to the restaurant to

protest, calling passengers to " stop eating cats and dogs and become

civilized " .

 

Similar reports from other sources are listed here:

 

Animal rights protest shuts restaurant Reuters. June 19, 2006.

Miss Shenzhen no fan of 'cat meatballs' The Shanghaiist. June 19, 2006.

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If you go back one day, you will find the story reported in slightly greater

length in the Southern Metropolis Daily. So all the previous reports were

re-writes of this original eyewitness report. The fact is that this was a

small local affair and the national and international news agencies did not

have a physical presence. Still, the subject was a bunch of protestors

drawn from Internet website forum discussions.

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(Southern Metropolis Daily) Restaurant slaughters cat in the street;

netizens protests. By Zhang Jing and Song Yuanhui (ÕÅ­Z¡¡ËÎÔªêÍ). June 18,

2006.

 

[in translation]

 

Cats were turned into meatballs for hotpot meals and the slaughter of the

cats took place right on the street not far away from the diners. This

scene occurred at a newly opened restaurant " Fangji Cat Meatball Restaurant "

in Shenzhen. Yesterday afternoon, almost one hundred animal rights

defenders gathered in front of the restaurant to protest. At one point, the

angry cat lovers entered the cat meatball restaurant to demand the shop

owner to free the cats.

 

On June 15, this reporter went to the Fangji Cat Meatball Restaurant on

Lianhua Road in Buji district of Shenzhen. The shop is about 10 or so

square meters in area. There were seven cages containing cats of various

colors on the sidewalk in front. The slaughter area was just one or two

meters away from the cages. Two shop employees took a brown cat, slit its

throat and drained its blood. Then they picked up the dead cat with a thong

and threw it into a large iron pot of boiling water. Afterwards, they

picked the cat up and then the two shop employees used a sharp knife to skin

the cat. After washing the cat, they cut off the head and tossed it into a

garbage bag on the side. According to the shop owner, they are from the

Jiaozhou-Shantou area where cat meat is popular. The cat soup for the

hotpot costs 25 yuan while the cat meatballs cost 60 yuan per kilogram.

Each cat will yield at most one kilogram, and therefore this is expensive

stuff.

 

Yesterday afternoon at 4pm, the founder of the Shenzhen Cat Net Isobel went

with more than 10 cat lovers in front of the shop. They held publicity

placards and leaflets and they were waiting to meet other cat lovers.

Isobel explained the Cat Net is an organization that is concerned about

stray cats. After this newspaper reported on the problem of cat

slaughtering and consumption in the street, the Cat Net netizens were

heartbroken and therefore decided to hold an action to protest the act of

slaughtering cats in the street.

 

At 430pm, the protestors unfolded a banner and raised their placards on

which were written slogans such as " Love little animals, respect life. "

They distributed the leaflet for " A Letter to Shenzhen Citizens " which said

that " cats and dogs are friends of human beings and refusing to eat cat and

dog meat is to respect life. " The action received the attention of many

pedestrians and residents.

 

Before the action, the organizer Isobel told the reporter that they wanted

to adopt a rational approach. But during the protest, some angry protestors

went into the cat meatball restaurant and demanded the shop owner to free

the cats. The shop owner said that there were no more cats in the

restaurant. The reporter observed that there was only one goose and several

chickens. The protestors found a skinned cat and two bags of cat meatballs

in the refrigerator. At the sight, several female cat lovers hugged each

other and cried. When the protestors could not find any cats in the

restaurant, they attempted to go upstairs to look but found nothing.

 

Even though the cat rescue mission failed, the protestors made speeches in

front of the restaurant with a loudspeaker. Many elementary school children

and their parents were attracted to the scene, and some students also

protested against the slaughter of cats.

 

Against the condemnations from the numerous cat lovers, the cat meatball

restaurant owner took down the plastic " Fang Company Cat Meatball " sign,

locked up the shop and left.

 

At 6pm, after the cat meatball restaurant owner has left, the protestors

prepared to proceed to another restaurant in Shawan. Supposedly that

restaurant advertises with a sign that says " Cat Meat 120. " Isobel said

that there are no animal protection laws and so their actions are awkward.

They want to gain government attention to come up with legislation to

prevent cruelty against animals.

 

Ms Shenzhen 2005 Gao Haiyun is the spokesperson for Cat Net. Today, she

brought along a banner that said: " Boycott harmful eating habits; refuse to

eat cats and dogs; be a civilized person. " According to information, this

incident gained a lot of attention at the Guangdong One Net, so that many of

their netizens came to join the Cat Net cat lovers to protest yesterday.

Almost one hundred people were iat the protest today.

 

In memory of all the slaughtered cats, each protestor wore a white rose on

the lapel.

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Now the preceding report refers to the fact that protestors first caught

wind of what was happening through a previous report in Southern Metropolis

Daily. So the following is the translation of the initial report, which was

broadly carried across China. By comparison, this report is overwhelmingly

much more powerful and considered than the more commonly cited but

abbreviated versions cited above. Oh, you better watch out for the photos

at the bottom!

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(Southern Metroplis Daily) Caring About Animals Is Caring About Yourself.

Edited by Lu Ruojing (¬ÈôÇé). June 16, 2006.

 

[in translation]

 

At a certain Jiaozhou-Shantou restaurant right next to a school, cats were

being slaughtered to be turned into meatballs for hotpot meals. Some diners

come from afar and enjoyed themselves immensely. Other diners observed the

slaughter and totally lose their appetites. Meanwhile elementary and

secondary school students saw the slaughter and fled from the scene in

terror. This has generated condemnations from cat lovers who called for

kind treatment of animals. Such was the scene that unfolded in front of the

newly opened " Fang Company Cat Meatball Restaurant " in the Buji district of

Shenzhen. On the evening of June 13, the reporter saw a cage of cats curled

up in terror in front of the restaurant.

 

The shop owner said, " Cat meal is good for removing dampness and it is

nutritious. " Cat meat is popular in the Jiaozhou and Shantou areas of

Guangdong province.

 

The shop is about 10 or so square meters in area. There were seven cages

with colored cats inside on the sidewalk in front. The slaughter area was

just one or two meters away from the cages. Two shop employees took a brown

cat, slit its throat and drained its blood. Then they picked up the cat

with a thong and threw it into a large iron pot of boiling water.

Afterwards, they picked the cat up and then the two shop employees used a

sharp knife to skin the cat. After washing the cat, they cut off the head

and tossed it into a garbage bag on the side.

 

" We don't want the cat's head, " said the shop employee. The cat stomach and

intestines are kept, but everything else is thrown away. In less than 30

minutes, the shop employee skillfully finished the slaughter, the skinning

and the gutting. " There is actually very little meat on a cat, " said the

shop employee. " Only the meat on the thighs can be used to make meatballs. "

 

The reporter noticed that the cats inside the cages on the sidewalk were

curled up. Some of the cats do not look pretty and are actually quite

filthy. But other cats look pretty, cute and lovely. When the reporter

approached the cage with his hands held out, some of the cats which have

observed their companions slaughtered were terrified, emitted screeching

sounds and recoiled in horror. When the humans back off, some cats emitted

the desperate sounds of " meow meow. "

 

" Where do these cats come from? " the reporters asked the hotpot restaurant

owner. " From the north. " According to the owner, the restaurant has been

in business for only three days. The cat meat soup costs 25 yuan, and the

cat meatballs cost 60 yuan per kilogram. According to him, the cat

meatballs were made from the top-quality body parts. A single cat will only

yield at most one kilogram of meat, so the price is expensive. But cat

meatballs are exquisite and different from other kinds of meat. Many people

are repeat customers. " But there are not many customers yet because this is

a new business, " said the owner. Neighboring restaurants also said that

this cat meatball restaurant was a recent entry.

 

" There are many stray cats in this district. I don't know if you will take

them, " the reporter asked in feigned innocence. " Of course! Stray cats at

seven yuan per kilogram! " said the shop owner without any hesitation. But

he said that he did not know how to catch cats. But if a customer brings

them it, he would take them.

 

" Cats grow up eating mice, so wouldn't their meat be poisonous? Do you test

whether the cat meat is clean? " When asked by the reporter, the two shop

employees said, " As long as we slaughter the cat cleanly and discard the

unnecessary parts, there is no problem. Isn't this the same with other

animals? "

 

" Why do you have to eat cats? " asked the reporter. " Cat meat can get rid of

dampness. It is nutritious and it is good for the fluids and spirits of the

body " said the shop employees while they are scrubbing the tub that they

kill the cats in. They only accept male cats, because female cats stink and

are not tasty. They think that cats are no different from any other kind of

animals that people eat. According to information, there are not too many

customers as yet, so they only need to slaughter two or three cats per day.

 

On this evening, the reporter observed that eating cat meat is still not

generally accepted by the public. There were more customers at the fresh

fish restaurant next door. By comparison, business was slow at this cat

meatball restaurant. There were just three or four male diners who watched

the slaughter and then ate enthusiastically. According to the shop

employee, those were repeat customers.

 

Some diner said that it was psychologically difficult to eat cats, because

cats are pets for people; in addition, cats are aloof and mysterious and so

it is inauspicious to eat them. " People seem to be capable of eating

anything nowadays. The 'cat torture' incident caused an Internet uproar,

but they are now slaughtering cats in public for consumption. People are

sometimes so scary " said a passerby with reluctance.

 

On the afternoon of June 14, the reporter went once again to the cat

meatball restaurant. The restaurant is located at the back entrance of the

Aiyi School. Some elementary and middle school students gathered round to

watch the slaughter. When they saw the shop employees swung the iron pipe

that killed the cat, some of the male students were stunned. Some of the

female students shielded their eyes with their hands or fled the scene

screaming.

 

Soon, some adults came over and took their children away. Some adults

thought that this was cruel and brutal. But during the entire slaughtering

process, nobody made any protest about killing cats in the middle of the

street.

 

According to the Aiyi School, there are over one thousand students there.

At the present, the school has not received any complaints from parents

about the killing of cats in the street. About one hundred meters away from

the restaurant is the Buji district Lianhua Elementary School. The school

principal said that about 300-400 students go past this restaurant after

school, so it is inappropriate for the students to witness the blood scene.

But the school has no legal authority. It can only report the situation to

the Departments of Commerce and Health and hope that the activity can be

halted so that the students can have a decent living environment.

 

" We don't want to eat cat meat and dog meat. I have been thinking about

what Guangdong people like to eat cat meat. " On the day before yesterday,

Shenzhen Cat Net's Isobel said that in their propaganda, they take two

angles: one is a sentimental appeal and the other is a health angle in order

to persuade people to treat animals well and refuse to eat cat and dog meat.

She believes that cats and dogs are pets to humans and so that means that

their statuses are different from other animals. " We hope that people can

understand and treat animals better. "

 

" Why do some many of us like to eat cat and dog meat? " asked Isobel.

" Because we define meat broadly and we believe any meat can be consumed

without differentiation. " But from the health angle, cats and meats do not

come from fixed sources and their health status cannot be assured.

" Therefore, we tell society to refuse to eat cat and dog meat and establish

a different eating pattern. "

 

But she said that this will be a gradual process. In China, there are no

corresponding laws to forbid the consumption of cats and dogs. There are no

corresponding units such as the Department of Health to supervise the

process either.

 

" When we push for refusing to consume cat and dog meat, we encounter many

issues, " said Isobel. " Some businesses exercise their rights to run their

businesses and we cannot dissuade them. " Furthermore, there is the more

infuriating situation when people steal others' pets and sell them to the

restaurants.

 

According to Shenzhen Pets Association president Zhu Xiaofan, it is a custom

to consume cats and dogs in Guangdong. There is a Guangdong dish known as

" Dragon Meets Tiger " which is based upon mixing cats with snakes and it

consider a traditionally dish that is a good omen. " But we do not approve

of eating cats and dogs, " he said. " There are many viruses in cats and

dogs, and there are many instances in which people get infected. "

 

But he said that while there are many regulations about rearing dogs in

Shenzhen, none exists for rearing cats. Since cats have three or four times

the reproductive capacity as dogs, there are stray cats in every district.

The situation of stray cats is presently an unmanageable situation.

 

As to whether people should eat cat, citizens have different opinions. Some

do not believe that cats are any different from other animals. " Guangdong

dishes have always included cats in the menu. " But other netizens disagree.

Some citizens believe: " If other animals can be eaten, then why not cats? "

 

The famous Guangdong dish " Dragon Meets Tiger " is about mixing snakes with

cats in a hotpot and is legendary. So there is a contemporary edition in

the Buji district with a restaurant offering cat meatballs that drew

customers to sample the dish.

 

When the reporter first heard about it, stomach acid began to gush up about

how those cats became people's food. Slaughtering the cats on the curbside

is a form of " torture " that the public finds unacceptable. In the " cat

torture " case, a netizen noted that humans can slaughter animals to ensure

their own survival in nature's food chain, but animals should have their own

'dignity.'

 

Do you accept slaughtering cats for food? Based upon a survey within a

small circle, nobody accepted it. The reason was that people believed that

cats are lovely animals and unharmful to human beings. Besides, the

slaughtered animals are stray cats whom nobody loves. They are compelled to

stray like the urban wanderers. Sometimes they get to eat and other times

they starve. They have no masters to provide shelter for them and they live

under the threat of the butcher's knife.

 

The reason why we care about these cats is that we have pity hidden in our

hearts. The propaganda about survival contains too much about the strong

defeating the weak and it erodes our respect for life.

 

In <<The Unbearable Lightness of Being>>, Milan Kundera wrote: " The true

test of humanity and morality is about how one treats those animals that

deserve pity. "

 

From cats to humans, the sympathy for the weak is a noble sentiment for

urban dwellers. The true test of humanity is not just about how we treat

vulnerable animals, but about how the strong should treat the weak.

 

In a city full of those who have succeeded, those who are still pursuing

their dreams, those who are disappointed and those who are struggling to

survive, the limited resources of the city ensure that some of these people

are like sunset enterprises destined for elimination. Some people are

restricted by their conditions and will live in hardship. We should not

pause to withhold applause those who have succeeded. But for those who are

finding it hard to survive, they don't necessarily want your alms and ad,

but at least you can give them some sympathy and less contempt and

exclusion.

 

http://www.zonaeuropa.com/20060620_1.htm