Cat owner in China tracks down missing pet 1,600km away and finds truck full of stolen felines heading for slaughterhouse
- The owner of a missing cat used a collar tracker and animal rescue volunteers to locate her pet in another province 1,600 kilometres away
- After jumping on a plane, the owner was able to rescue the cat before it reached its destination, believed to be a slaughterhouse for cat meat
A Chinese pet owner’s search for their missing British shorthair cat has led to the discovery of a truck full of stolen felines in Guangzhou in southern China’s Guangdong province, more than 1,600 kilometres away.
Media reporting and social media discussion on the case has renewed public concern about China’s dog and cat kidnapping chain.
The cat’s owner, surnamed Zhang, lives in Huzhou in Zhejiang province in eastern China and first noticed her pet was missing on January 5.
The cat, named Mantou, was wearing a tracking device around its neck when it disappeared, which allowed Zhang to trace it to the neighbouring province of Jiangsu.
Zhang suspected that her cat had been stolen and called the police. However, after reviewing surveillance footage, the police said they could not find any conclusive evidence of theft and did not pursue an investigation.
Zhang then noticed that Mantou’s tracker had moved further south onto a highway and was travelling towards Guangzhou in southern China.
