A large-scale cat theft ring that stole thousands of pet cats to sell for meat has been dismantled by law enforcement in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, with 12 suspects taken into custody after confessing to their involvement in the criminal operation.
According to official statements released by the Ho Chi Minh City Police Department, the arrested men detailed how their network operated: small groups traveled through quiet residential neighborhoods after dark on motorbikes, setting bait traps baited with fish outside homes known to keep pet cats. Investigators say each stealing crew captured between four and 10 cats every night, accumulating a total of approximately 2,700 stolen animals over the course of their operation.
When law enforcement raided the group’s operations on July 8, they seized a range of incriminating evidence: 50 live cats that had not yet been slaughtered, 55 purpose-built cat traps, two fur removal machines, two weighing scales, 14 storage bags, 13 mobile phones linked to the trade, seven motorbikes used for patrols and thefts, and roughly 6.7 million Vietnamese dong, equal to around $257 USD. Of the 50 cats rescued in this raid, 13 have already been successfully reunited with their original owners, while the remaining felines are being cared for at HavePaws, a local animal welfare center. Police have also published photos of the rescued animals to help connect more pets to their families.
This bust is not an isolated incident: just one month prior in June, Ho Chi Minh City authorities worked with animal welfare groups to break up a separate cat trafficking ring, rescuing more than 400 cats that were also bound for slaughter for the meat trade.
The trade and consumption of cat and dog meat remains legal in Vietnam, and many restaurants across the country openly list the meat on their menus. Current regulations only require vendors to hold permits verifying the origin of the animals they sell. However, data from animal protection organizations shows that the stolen pets that make up a large portion of this illegal trade never meet these regulatory requirements.
Animal protection organization Humane World for Animals estimates that as many as one million cats and five million dogs are stolen, trafficked, and slaughtered for meat across Vietnam every year. Despite the ongoing prevalence of the trade, campaigners note that public opinion is shifting rapidly against the practice. A 2023 public opinion survey commissioned by Humane World for Animals found that 71% of Vietnamese respondents support a full national ban on both the trade and consumption of cat meat, with opposition particularly strong among younger generations and pet-owning households.
Welfare advocates say that repeated large-scale busts like the July seizure highlight the scale of the unregulated illegal theft ring that supplies the cat meat trade, and have renewed calls for stronger policy reforms to end the practice entirely.