Police recover more than 400 cats in Vietnam theft ring case

Police in Vietnam have recovered more than 400 cats in Ho Chi Minh City during an investigation into suspected pet thefts, according to animal welfare groups, local media and police. The case has put new attention on Vietnam’s legal but contested dog and cat meat trade.

The multiday operation last week led to nine detentions, local media reported. Police said the investigation began after reports of missing pets in the city and led officers to a group accused of collecting cats for the meat trade.

The Ho Chi Minh City Criminal Police Division said officers found 45 cages holding about 400 live cats. Police also found four foam containers packed with ice and about 80 dead cats, and later recovered 21 live cats at another site.

Animal welfare groups said more than 40 cats had been returned to their owners. Several dozen animals died after the rescue because of the conditions in which they were kept, the groups said.

Suspects accused of operating across southern Vietnam

Police said the detained suspects admitted trapping and collecting cats for three years in several southern areas, including Ho Chi Minh City, Tay Ninh and An Giang. Authorities described the case as part of a suspected cat meat operation.

Karanvir Kukreja, who leads an anti-dog and cat meat campaign for Humane World for Animals, said the raid showed the scale of the cat meat trade in Vietnam. He said millions of dogs and cats are taken from streets or stolen from homes and killed for consumption.

Chris Gindelhumer of Vietnam Cat Welfare, which is helping care for the recovered animals, said many Vietnamese families had arrived hoping to identify missing pets. He said some found their cats, while others left without them.

Gindelhumer said veterinarians and volunteers were working continuously to treat the rescued cats. Humane World for Animals Viet Nam released photos showing cats held in cages after the police seizure.

Cat and dog meat remain legal in Vietnam

Eating dog and cat meat is legal in Vietnam, but vendors are required to hold permits that verify where the animals came from. Animal welfare groups have long argued that theft feeds parts of the trade.

Some Vietnamese cities have moved to discourage dog and cat meat consumption. Hoi An, in central Vietnam, has worked with international animal welfare organizations on efforts to end the practice.

Vietnamese officials said after South Korea’s 2024 ban on dog meat that the government planned legal changes aimed at improving protections for pets and their owners. The Ho Chi Minh City case shows how enforcement against animal theft remains a live issue as authorities consider those reforms.

This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.