Dude.
Like, what in the world?
This place drowned up to 300 cats a month to make thịt mèo soup and now I'll never look at a cat without seeing it in my mind's eye as a bowl of soup.
Believe it or not, cat meat is pretty popular in Vietnam (where this restaurant is located), but this owner had had enough, he just couldn't do it anymore — it wasn't moral. So he closed his restaurant, even though it was all that was keeping his family afloat. And before you go demonizing this guy, I should note that he at one point only served "normal" food, and when that wasn't bringing in enough cash he put cat on the menu.
(Eating cat in their culture is believed to bring good luck.)
Regardless, the restaurant is closed now, so y'all cat lovers can rejoice.
A Vietnamese restaurant that slaughtered up to 300 cats a month for a stomach-churning soup recipe has closed its doors this month after the owner voiced his moral concerns with the practice.
Pham Quoc Doanh, 37, dramatically tore down the sign that advertised cat meat — known as "thịt mèo" — outside his Gia Bảo restaurant in the Thịnh Đán ward of Thái Nguyên in early December, the Humane Society International (HSI) announced.
As a result, 20 cats and kittens set to be drowned in order to meet the eatery's demand were freed and placed for local adoption, the organization said.
I am both happy for the cats and sad for this man's family. But good for him for doing what's right.
Real quick, I couldn't believe this when I read it so I'll share it with you:
About 1 million cats — mostly stolen pets and strays — are killed for meat per year in Vietnam, the HSI noted.
Polls show that 87% of people in Vietnam have had a pet mysteriously stolen, or know someone whose pet was taken, it added.
Here's some good news for Doanh's family: When he reached out to Humane Society International they were able to offer him a one-time grant to close down his restaurant and open up a grocery store.
"Now that I've closed my cat slaughter business ...
... I feel more peaceful in my mind and feel confident and happy about my future without killing any more animals," Doanh told the outlet.
"I will supply a lot of products like drinks, tobacco, sweets, dry food like instant noodles, and make a living for my family that way instead," he said.
Praying the new business does well so he doesn't have to go back to selling cat soup. 😰
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