AdvertisementAdvertisementThis photo released by Humane World for Animals Vietnam shows cats in cages that were seized by the police in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, on Jun 15, 2026. (Photo: AP/Phuong Pham/Humane World for Animals Vietnam)17 Jun 2026 03:23PM Bookmark Bookmark WhatsApp Telegram Facebook Twitter Email LinkedInAdd CNA as a trusted source to help Google better understand and surface our content in search results.Read a summary of this article on FAST.Get bite-sized news via a newcards interface. Give it a try.Click here to return to FAST Tap here to return to FASTFAST HANOI: Police in Vietnam seized more than 400 cats in a major bust of a cat meat crime ring in Ho Chi Minh City, according to animal welfare groups and local media reports.More than 40 of the rescued cats were reunited with their owners following the multiday operation last week, but around 100 have died due to the harsh conditions that they were kept in, the groups said.This operation is “a sobering reminder of the enormous scale of Vietnam’s cat meat trade”, Karanvir Kukreja, who leads a campaign against dog and cat meat consumption for the international nonprofit Humane World for Animals, said in a statement.An investigation last week into a spate of pet thefts in Ho Chi Minh City led police to track down the cat meat crime ring and detain nine individuals, according to local media.Show MoreShow LessOfficers discovered 45 cages containing around 400 live cats and four ice-filled foam containers holding approximately 80 dead cats, with 21 live cats recovered at a separate location, according to The Ho Chi Minh City Criminal Police Division.More than 500 cats were seized, which local media reported was one of Vietnam's largest cat welfare cases in recent years.The suspects admitted to trapping and collecting cats across south Vietnam over the past three years in Ho Chi Minh City and the cities of Tay Ninh and An Giang, police said.This photo released by Humane World for Animals Vietnam shows cats that were seized by the police in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, on Jun 15, 2026. (Photo: AP/Phuong Pham/Humane World for Animals Vietnam)This photo released by Vietnam Cat Welfare shows rescued cats getting treatment in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, Jun 17, 2026. (Photo: Vietnam Cat Welfare via AP)Millions of animals fall victim to dog and cat thieves in Vietnam who snatch animals off the streets or steal family pets and slaughter them for human consumption, said Kukreja with the group Humane World for Animals.Chris Gindelhumer with the nonprofit Vietnam Cat Welfare, who is helping care for the rescued animals, said he “saw quite a lot of tears in the last few days”.“It’s really beautiful to see how many Vietnamese families are coming, looking for their cats,” he said. “But it’s also heartbreaking because many families were looking for their cats and didn’t find them.”Many veterinarians and volunteers are working around the clock for the cats, Gindelhumer said.Consumption of dog and cat meat is legal in Vietnam. Vendors must have permits to validate the animals' origins. But certain cities like Hoi An in central Vietnam are working with global animal welfare groups to stop dog and cat meat consumption in the city.Not long after South Korea's 2024 ban on dog meat, Vietnamese officials said the government plans to rebuild parts of the legal system to better protect pets and the rights of their owners.“This event surprised a lot of people and has raised awareness among many to stop consuming cat meat,” said An Pham, a master's degree student and avid cat lover in Ho Chi Minh City.Source: AP/fhNewsletterMorning BriefSubscribe to CNA’s Morning BriefAn automated curation of our top stories to start your day.Sign up for our newslettersGet our pick of top stories and thought-provoking articles in your inboxSubscribe hereGet the CNA appStay updated with notifications for breaking news and our best storiesDownload hereGet WhatsApp alertsJoin our channel for the top reads for the day on your preferred chat appJoin hereAlso worth readingContent is loading...Expand to read the full storyGet bite-sized news via a newcards interface. Give it a try.Click here to return to FAST Tap here to return to FASTFAST