Guilt Bites Back: Vietnamese Restaurant Closes Cat Soup Doors After Ethical Awakening

A Vietnamese restaurant owner in Thái Nguyên province has made the difficult decision to close his cat meat business, citing ethical concerns about the practice. Pham Quoc Doanh, the 37-year-old owner of the Gia Bảo restaurant, tore down the advertisement for the cat soup recipe in early December. He also freed and placed for adoption at least 20 cats and kittens that were destined to be killed for the dish.

Doanh told news agencies that he was pushed into the cat meat market because he was struggling to make ends meet. He said that he never wanted to sell cat meat, but he felt like he had no other choice.

“Before selling cat meat at this restaurant, I served other normal food and drinks,” Doanh said. “However, the income was not enough to cover the living cost of my family. It was then I tried selling cat meat since there was no other available restaurant serving this in the area.”

The Humane Society International (HSI) commended Doanh for his decision to close his cat meat business. The organization said that about 1 million cats are killed for meat each year in Vietnam, mostly stolen pets and strays.

“We are incredibly grateful to Mr. Doanh for making this compassionate decision,” said Kelly Donati, HSI’s Asia director. “We hope that his story will inspire others to speak out against the cruel cat meat trade.”

HSI is helping Doanh transition to a new career by providing him with a grant to open a grocery store. The organization is also helping him to find homes for the cats that he rescued.

“Now that I’ve closed my cat slaughter business, I feel more peaceful in my mind and feel confident and happy about my future,” Doanh said.