While Vietnam’s brutal dog meat trade is fairly well known, cats tend to be forgotten victims of an equally sinister trade. In recent years, there has been a surge in the number of restaurants in Vietnam serving a dish known as 'Little Tiger' or thịt mèo (Vietnamese for cat meat). Many people believe that cat meat brings good luck, has medicinal properties, and wards off evil. It is estimated that up to a million cats, many of them cherished pets, fall victim to this trade every year. In order to meet the demand for cat meat, both stray and pet cats are routinely trapped or stolen using snares, crammed tightly into wire cages, and trafficked throughout the country to supply cat meat restaurants and markets. The suffering of these cats is immense, from capture to slaughter, in which many are drowned, beaten to death, or de-furred while still alive.

With FOUR PAWS support, Vietnam’s 'Cats Matter Too' programme is the first of its kind in Vietnam to specifically focus on promoting feline welfare while also targeting the cat meat trade.

Further fueling the trade is the country’s lack of available low-cost spay/neuter opportunities and humane management options for free-roaming and pet cats. This leads to the birth unwanted litters of kittens and puppies that often end up in the meat trade. Central Vietnam is a particularly popular area for stealing cats which are then trafficked throughout the country.

The ‘Cats Matter Too’ programme, initiated in 2020, is the first of its kind in Vietnam to specifically focus on promoting feline welfare and addressing the cat meat trade. Its objective is to support pet owners and protect cats from unscrupulous thieves. In collaboration with local charities, PAWS for Compassion and Vietnam Cat Welfare, the programme involves the following activities in the cities of Da Nang and Hoi An:

One of the core objectives of the programme is to control the population of stray and unowned cats, thereby reducing the number of homeless and suffering felines in Da Nang and Hoi An.
In 2023, we vaccinated 221 animals and 454 were sterilised. We work closely with the DCMT programme to end the dog and cat meat trade in Vietnam.

The programme's dedicated team works tirelessly to rescue and provide quality medical care for hundreds of cats that have been abandoned, abused or involved in the cat meat trade, providing them a second chance at finding loving forever homes. 

In collaboration with FOUR PAWS, the local partner Vietnam Cat Welfare operates Jack’s Cat Café, a shelter in Hoi An that is a home of more than 100 cats, many of whom are victims of the cat meat trade. These lucky cats are living happily in a spacious and cat-friendly environment and receiving excellent care from the dedicated team at VCW.

In addition to the hard work in Da Nang, the partner PAWS for Compassion actively extends its assistance to the project "Establishing Hoi An as a dog and cat meat-free, tourist-friendly city in Vietnam and rabies elimination support”, a collaboration between FOUR PAWS and the Hoi An People's Committee aiming to combat rabies and the dog and cat meat trade.

With the unwavering commitment of FOUR PAWS’ two local partners, the 'Cats Matter Too' programme is expected to continue to create more positive impacts on the lives of cats and the communities of Da Nang and Hoi An in 2024. It strives for a future where all felines are cherished, protected, and living in a safe environment.