Authorities in Vietnam's largest city have dismantled what they describe as an organized network that stole thousands of cats from residential neighborhoods and sold the animals for meat, according to state media reports.
Police in Ho Chi Minh City arrested 12 men in connection with the operation, which investigators say moved roughly 2,700 cats through a supply chain stretching across the city. The suspects are being investigated on theft charges, state media reported Monday.
Officers identified a 39-year-old man, Luu Thanh Binh, as the alleged architect of the scheme. According to investigators, Binh purchased stolen cats, housed them at a holding facility in the northern part of the city, and then resold the animals to buyers who wanted them for meat.
The network relied on a loose crew of cat catchers who worked under cover of darkness. These suppliers recruited people to ride motorcycles through residential streets between 11 p.m. and 4 a.m., scanning for free-roaming cats. Each rider could trap anywhere from four to 10 animals in a single night, according to statements the suspects gave to investigators.
Police moved against the ring on July 8, raiding the operation and recovering about 50 live cats along with dozens of traps, state media reported. The suspects later told investigators they had stolen and sold approximately 2,700 cats in total, though police have not disclosed how long the network had been active.
After the raid, authorities were able to return 13 of the confiscated cats to their owners. The remaining animals were placed in the care of a nonprofit animal rights group while officials worked to identify who they belonged to. A photograph distributed by the Humane World for Animals organization and the Associated Press showed one of the rescued cats being cared for at the group's facility in Ho Chi Minh City on Sept. 17.
The case highlights a persistent tension in Vietnam between traditional culinary practices and changing social attitudes toward companion animals. Eating dog and cat meat is not unique to Vietnam and has been documented in various parts of Asia, but it has never been a mainstream practice in most communities.
In Vietnam, cat meat has traditionally been consumed more often in the northern part of the country, particularly among older generations. The practice has been fading as pet ownership rises and cities grow more densely populated. Younger Vietnamese, like their counterparts in many other countries, increasingly view dogs and cats as members of the family rather than as livestock.
Advocacy groups have pushed for years to end the trade. In 2024, more than 250,000 people signed a petition urging Vietnam to shut down its dog and cat meat industry. The historic city of Hoi An made its own commitment in 2021, pledging to stop the sale and consumption of dog and cat meat within its boundaries.
Some consumers believe eating cat meat brings good fortune, a belief that animal welfare advocates say has no scientific basis but nonetheless helps sustain demand. That folkloric association, combined with the low cost of stolen animals, may explain why the black-market trade persists even as overall consumption declines.
From a legal standpoint, Vietnamese law classifies dogs and cats as private property, meaning that stealing them constitutes theft. Criminal prosecution generally applies when the value of stolen property exceeds 2 million dong, a threshold that the sheer volume of cats involved in this case would appear to surpass many times over.
The 12 suspects could face significant legal exposure if convicted, though authorities have not announced specific charges beyond the theft investigation. State media did not indicate whether any of the men have retained lawyers or entered pleas.
The case also raises questions about enforcement in a country where the pet industry is expanding rapidly. As more Vietnamese families welcome cats and dogs into their homes, the emotional and financial value of those animals has grown, giving police a stronger incentive to treat theft seriously. At the same time, the underground supply chain depends on buyers who are willing to purchase meat from unknown sources, often without asking where the animals came from.
Animal rights organizations have pointed to cases like this one as evidence that the trade is not merely a matter of cultural preference but frequently involves criminal activity. Stolen pets, they argue, represent both a financial loss to families and a source of distress that can be difficult to quantify.
For the families whose cats were taken, the raid offered a measure of relief. Thirteen animals were reunited with their owners, but the remainder face an uncertain future as shelters and volunteers try to determine whether anyone is searching for them. The Humane World for Animals facility has been providing food, veterinary care, and shelter in the meantime.
Vietnamese police have not said whether they expect additional arrests or whether the investigation could expand to include buyers and middlemen who purchased cats from Binh's operation. State media reports did not specify what penalties the suspects might face if the case proceeds to trial.
The arrests come amid broader regional shifts in how governments and societies treat the dog and cat meat trade. Several countries and municipalities across Asia have moved to restrict or ban the practice in recent years, citing animal welfare concerns, public health risks, and changing public opinion.
In Vietnam, the debate remains unsettled. While urbanization and generational change have steadily reduced demand, pockets of the market endure, sustained by tradition, superstition, and the economics of a low-cost underground supply. Cases like the one in Ho Chi Minh City illustrate how that demand can intersect with organized theft, drawing ordinary pet owners into a criminal economy they never chose to join.
For now, the 12 suspects remain under investigation, and the rescued cats remain in temporary care. The outcome of the case may offer one more signal of how seriously Vietnam's legal system intends to treat the theft of animals that a growing number of citizens consider family.
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