Before i donate something to fund liberation of animals that are designatd to be eaten, or stop a lorry with pigs or cattle on it to free the poor animals, i would like to see more actions for better working conditions (especially in china).

*pling* that were my 2 cents

Keeping carnivores in captivity still seems wrong to me, why bother when the return on any other normal animal is better tasting meat and a lot less hassle. Hence keeping a calf in a box with no sunlight is better than a stringy cat. Or force feeding ducks or anything like that.

At the very most, I would stretch to omnivore.

I don't quite understand why people have a problem with eating cats or dogs but don't think twice about that nice tender piece of veal or lamb.

I'm quite willing to eat any animal -- mammal, reptile, bird, fish, crustacean, insect, it doesn't matter. As long as it is properly prepared, any meat can be quite tasty.

(I would even eat human if it was on the menu...)

The way they raise, market and slaughter dogs and cats is completely different from how we raise, market and slaughter poultry and livestock.

For those who are unwilling to acknowledge the difference, have a look at this:

http://www.animal-protection.net/furtrade/movie.htm

Be warned, it is rather gory.

If I thought the meat I was offered had been treated like this, I'd convert to vegetarianism.

You can't farm cats or transport them on mass easily because they are ferral and solitary, so it is cruel to keep them together in a confined space. Cows and sheep on the other hand will happily stand around in a barn or field and can be easily herded without excessive cruelty. Herding cats probably involves some kind of fishing net, some stun guns and protective clothing.

That just leaves hunting for them as the only ethical option. Unfortunately, most wild cats are endangered, and all the other cats generally belong to people so it is, at the very least, stealing if you eat one.

If you want to eat mangey flea-infested strays that were killed humanely then that is fine with me.

The point about not eating carnivores is a good one.

Eating hervibores is much less efficient (one fourth to one tenth) than eating plants, but there are some significant benefits with eating them that might offset, for some, the inefficiency (a more complete and balanced diet, better taste, etc.).

But there's no signifficant advantage in eating carnivores, and that adds another 4x-10x inefficiency. Eating carnivores is a signifficant waste of resources, and given that there's barely enough food for everyone on earth I don't see the need for adding more inefficiency to the process.

(I would even eat human if it was on the menu...)

Can i interest you in my sister, she's quite a dish.

The old scam was send us 50quid or we will shoot this dog. So that would be 40,000 or the kitties will hit the pan.

Scam or no, sad story either way.

Tell that to my steak !

I have never eaten carnivore, so I cannot guarantee that a tiger steak is at least 4 times better than a cow steak, but I have eaten quite a lot of herbivores (duck, rabbit, chicken, cow, pig - omnivore I know - and horse) and they all tasted quite good, at least 5 times better than broccoli by my reckoning.

And Mr. Kruger, you had better avoid American airports - they probably have you on a CIA list now, marked in the column "potential serial killer".

Mark Pupilli wrote:

"Herding cats probably involves some kind of fishing net, some stun guns and protective clothing."

Mark, if you're interested in cat-herding methods, then point your browser towards:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1SmgLtg1Izw

So were these "rescued" cats taken from the vast herds shown in this advert, sweeping majestically over the plains of the US? We need to be told!

tongue-firmly-in-cheek

Why would you want to eat a cat anyway? They are stringy horrible things, without any descent meat on them.

Maybe the purchasers were looking to provide a multi-offer. Two portions of cat Chow Mein and we'll throw in a couple sets of fur ear muffs, and some violin strings.

What's the problem? I know exactly what the problem is, we can't stand the thought of anything that's cute'n'cuddly! Little pussy cats and cute puppy doggies, uproar and much booing and hounding of Chinese traders. Large bovine, "Sorry mate, get in the burger! Oh and when were done, we need few handbags."!

Personally I can't see a problem with people eating any meat they wish, so long as there's plenty to keep breeding it and it's been knocked off quickly and humanely, but then I'm a veggie so I couldn't a stuff what you meaties eat!

Surely eating a few carnivores would improve overall efficiency as there would be less carnivores left to go eating the omnivores?

If the carnivores are preying on urban pests, as these most likely were, then harvesting and utilising them is a way to get return from an otherwise wasted resource, same as village pigs being allowed to forage thru garbage.

In countries where cats have been introduced, they tend to be serious threats to the native species, and feral cats contribute to the near or actual extinction of several species (Dodos being the posterchild).

So in urban areas, cats are a way to transform vermin into cuisine, and in non-urban areas, they are a pest themselves which needs to be controlled.

the only human i have tried tastes of wet prawn....

Only .55/minute... When you need a hot pussy... Our operators are standing by!

Anyone who owns at least one, and preferably two or more cats that get on well will tell you that.

They are, however, impossible to herd. That's the attraction.

<Mac Voice output>Save Rip. If you send $20 TODAY this noble dog will eat next month, otherwise who knows?

</Mac Voice output>

I know the $20 I paid to register Captain Magneto went to feed Rip (at least the month after).

It saddens me and sickens me to think that people could be so cruel. Cats and dogs are domesticated animals. They do not deserve to be eaten. No animal deserves to be tortured, cooked, nor any human. The people who stepped in to save these cats are heros!! Pets have brought so much joy and companionship to people over the years! Some have saved lives, found criminals, helped the disabled,etc... and to think some people could throw them in a dish to be eaten is horrific!! The people on this site that said they have no probelm eating cats, or humans for that matter, are sick!! The only comforting thing for me is that one day this people will someday rot in hell!!!

Well, any animal held in bad conditions is a bad thing, but this article seems to point to the eating part as the bad thing.

I think the locals who did this should really be trying to free "outspoken" chinese HUMANS that are held in their prisons for the peoples protection in disgusting conditions, rather than chinese cats.

Hey, I agree with those people. In places like that, cats are probably seriously overrunning native species, stealing their food, etc... and in such a situation these are in fact "pests." These have not been lovingly bred and sold (or given away) as a family pet. They are probably totally feral and un-tameable.

As to the "domesticated" ploy, cows are domesticated too. We bred them to be dumb and lazy so we could raise them for food without having to chase them.

Now don't get me wrong, I've been a cat person all my life, but I wouldn't consider adopting one of those feral cats. They're almost like a different species!