Updated: Man arrested in stray cats 'abduction' investigation
Video: Kurt Sansone
The police have arrested a Chinese man and impounded a van as part of their investigation into reports that two people had been seen rounding up cats in several localities.
Three carcasses, believed to be of cats, were found in the van. The man, who lives at Hal Far, was arrested in Marsascala at 8.20pm yesterday. Although he works part time at a Chinese restaurant in Marsascala, it is unlikely that the restaurant is involved, sources said.
The man also takes care of the kitchen of the Chinese community at Hal Far, who number 200 or so. He is claiming that he bought the carcasses believing them to be rabbits from a third party.
Sources said the police were tipped off about the man by the owner of a pet shop, who following an appeal by the Animal Welfare Department for information last Wednesday, reported the man as suspicious because of the large quantities of pet food he was buying.
Animal welfare activists had expressed fear that stray cats were being abducted.
A couple were seen driving around in a white van, trapping and taking cats away, the co-founder of Stray Animals Support Group SASG, Janine Vella, had said.
She feared hundreds of cats have been taken for their coats or even meat over several months.
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413 Comments
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Robert Donnelly
Dec 8th 2012, 19:33
Robert. After watching the video of the policeman digging in the garbage bin, I noticed that he was not wearing any type of gloves. Are they not afraid to catch some kind of decease. What kind of hygene is offered to them??????????????
Daniel Borg
Nov 27th 2012, 17:26
Jien kull iekel ciniz ma nafdax
Tracy Piscopo
Nov 26th 2012, 11:02
How come in previous articles when people stated they actually talked to the couple no one ever mentioned that one of them or both of them were Chinese?
Is this just a simple case of picking on someone just so people think it's being tackled? The obvious choice would have been a Chinese person of course, seeing that the Maltese in general believe Chinese people eat anything that moves.
Brian Han
Nov 26th 2012, 13:53
your comment makes sense!
Brian Han
Nov 26th 2012, 09:07
As far as i know, the Chinese man was released proven innocent. The tDNA test result of the 3 carcasses will soon be ready which will be likely rabbit. So allegation should stop here.
Alex Yarns
Nov 25th 2012, 13:04
I cannot wait to see what exactly you've hunted out at hal far.
Was that about hundreds of cats had been rescued there?
Or anything you've found from the Chinese restaurant in Marsascala?
What's the government action about the stray cats?
A Borg
Nov 25th 2012, 11:16
Jekk inthom tahsbu li Kelb jew Qattus huwa tajjeb al ikel ara vera bla demm nitkellem alijja lanqas il fennek ma niekol ghax inqisu bhala PET u meta tmoru tieklu chinese fuq il menu mux bhala rabbit ikkun imnizel imma bhala beef dakhuwa liktar kullur ta laham qrib tal qattus imma peres li ikkum mereq fis sauce tieghu it toma ma tkunx hemm lanqas tal beef ma tieghem ahseb u ara tal qattus
Mark Anthony Fenech
Nov 25th 2012, 11:06
Traditions are not laws and people should be free to flout them. If rabbits are eaten why not cats?
Nick Scerri
Nov 25th 2012, 18:10
Because if you look up the Animal Welfare Act it clearly states that only a Veterinarian has the right to kill/destroy/euthanise 'domestic' animals' (which in Malta generally refers, but is not limited, to dogs and cats). To all people who are arguing in favour of this man to respect his traditions or otherwise please remember;
IN MALTA KILLING CATS AND DOGS WITHOUT AUTHORISATION IS ILLEGAL!!!
Tristan Liu
Nov 25th 2012, 10:46
I guess this issue is still under investigation, how can the media draw this conclusion? This is really ridiculous.
joseph azzopardi
Nov 25th 2012, 08:34
Jien ma nara xejn hazin li niekol qattus, bhal ma niekol fenek, bodbod, haruf u baqra, l'importanti li ma tahqarx lil l'annimal, toqtlu u tieklu. Naqbel ma Peppi, ghaliex fenek baqra u moza iva u qattus u kelb le??? Buon apetit!!!!
fleur cilia buckett
Nov 25th 2012, 12:04
strays specjalment qtates ikollom worms - buon apettit lilek ukoll!
Sheila Caruana
Nov 25th 2012, 14:36
If there is absolutely nothing wrong then why don't restaurant owners in Malta add cat meat and dog meat to their menus?
Buon apetit:((
Alistair Busuttil
Nov 25th 2012, 08:34
ma hiex fil-kultura taghna li nieklu il-qtates u l-klieb certi uzanzi naqbel li ma jithallewx isiru,ghax allura kulhadd jibda jghamel li jrid
Mark Anthony Fenech
Nov 25th 2012, 11:36
Minn mindu 'l hawn il-kultura saret liġi?
Emanuel Muscat
Nov 25th 2012, 08:25
What are 200 chinese 'community' doing in Malta?
We know that they eat anything that 'moves'.
One of them was buying large quantities of cat food, to fatten them?
Conclusion:the chinese are eating our cats on an industrial scale.
Are they paying national insurance contributions?
What about all the massage parlours spreading over the island?And the restaurants?
Time to know the truth!
Charles Sammut. (NY)
Nov 25th 2012, 08:13
If seems that the cat is out of the bag..I wonder which Chinese restaurant in Malta served the best dish of cat delicacy...
Mr Joe Micallef
Nov 25th 2012, 06:31
what are they doing these 200 or so Chinese in Malta liveing in Hal far do they have the I.D cards too can anybody please explain from the goverment department they have job,s are they receving wallfare because Malta don,t have enough work for it,s own people are they refuges because they may have no money to buy food than again they have money to buy the cat food,and no MOOR CHINESE FOOD.
Charles Grixti
Nov 25th 2012, 06:19
The ancient Egyptians used to worship cats. Cats kept the rats and mice away from their grannaries (if unchecked rats can eat tonnes of wheat a year) and kept the Egyptians from starvation.
Cats are the most beautiful creatures on this earth (Da Vinci was right). I had one of the most loving 12 year relationship with a cat I picked up as a stray kitten. Take care of your cats Malta!
A. Borg
Nov 25th 2012, 03:59
I go regularly to Chinese restaurants and I never was offered Rabbit meat.
Charles Grixti
Nov 26th 2012, 16:38
Chinese restaurants would not offer you a fenkata. Rather the 'meat' is covered in batter and sweet and sour sauce so you will not know what type of meat you are eating. In fact, most of Chinese dishes, the meat is never served whola and by itself as it is in European cooking, so any type of meat is OK, even human flesh which substitutes for pork very nicely.
James Fenech
Nov 24th 2012, 23:54
All those warning to stay away from chinese food would be wiser to stay away from fenkati
Mary Tanti
Nov 25th 2012, 18:15
I agree - I remember that already 50 years ago we were warned that places offering fenkata could be serving cats! Indeed I have and would never eat fenkata in a restaurant. So I repeat - glasshouses and stones!
Andre' Camenzuli
Nov 24th 2012, 23:38
X'ferh ta' nies jidhlu jikkummentaw hawn gew!! Qed jaslu ghall-konkluzjoni li ghax Ciniz qabad xi qtates dawn spiccaw f'ristorant ciniz u wisq iktar mhux ha jmorru jieklu chinese iktar? Jien kemm ili niekol Chinese qatt ma rajt fenek fil-menu. Il-laham li jkun hemm huwa beef, chicken jew papra u dawn jintiehmu bla ebda dubju x'ikunu. Taqbdu taslu ghall-konkluzjoni cumm paqq pumm!
A Borg
Nov 25th 2012, 11:20
Tahseb li il beef ikollu tomma ta beef vera !!!! Il qattus ma jkun imnizel bhala rabbit imma jkun imnizel bhala beef . L- ikel ciniz dejjem ikkun merreq fxi tip ta sauce qatt ma rajt ikel cinize plain.
A. Bugeja
Nov 24th 2012, 23:19
i hope he gets his just deserved and will be made an example 4 other trying to do the same... I am so disgusted by some of the comments..My friends cat got out of the yard that evening never 2 be seen again. A family pet for many years. If you have the stomach to see how they kill cats check out you tube and lets see if you still have the same opinion about their barbaric ways.
Luke Formosa
Nov 24th 2012, 22:55
I'm surprised at the hundreds of comments that disagree with eating cats, when we happily eat rabbits, cows, pigs, sheep, horses and chickens without sparing them a second thought. There is NOTHING, either in law or in nature, that gives cats (or dogs) any special status compared to other animals. Thus the main crime in this case is probably fraud - selling cat meat disguised as rabbit meat.
Tatjana Turky
Nov 25th 2012, 10:13
I agree 100%, being shocked and touched over eating cats while eating other animals is just hypocrisy !
Andre Debono
Nov 26th 2012, 10:00
Stop the bull$h!t and try not to be mr.smarty pants! Since when it's a norm to eat cats and dogs? It's just utterly disgusting and stupid....there's a reason why we don't eat these animals and that's because we just DON'T...and in any case capturing stray animals and sell them as food is still illegal for any animals since these would not have passed through all tests to certify them as safe!
Luke Formosa
Nov 26th 2012, 14:21
@A Debono: Quote - "there's a reason why we don't eat these animals ... because we just DON'T". So what you're saying is that not even you can come up with a good reason. Why? Because there is NO reason. Cat meat is eaten in China, South America and Switzerland. Dog meat is eaten Swizerland, China, Vietnam and Korea. And if you ever ate a "fenkata" you may have unwittingly eaten catmeat yourself!
andreana attard
Nov 24th 2012, 22:29
The truth is that stray cats (and dogs) are a nuisance. I doubt how much they actually catch any rats too. We have to thank the Chinese guy.
maria borg
Nov 25th 2012, 19:06
you are nuisance also ,hope cannibals will come too malta too
so than after someone else can thank them
michael pace
Nov 24th 2012, 22:21
What's next on the chinese menu (cream of sum yung guy)
Brian Han
Nov 24th 2012, 21:56
Too early to judge
carmel muscat
Nov 24th 2012, 21:48
ara tmorrux tieklu chinese u oqodu ftafru kemm kien tajjeb - - - - -
Charlie Mallia
Nov 24th 2012, 21:27
It's all in the mind we eat cow-sheep meat etc., etc. because in our mind and culture are considered as cattle farm animals, for the Chinese cats are there cows simple as that.
Mr leo attard
Nov 24th 2012, 21:40
it's also part of the papua new guinea culture to eat people --- is it okay with you if I bring a couple of them over to settle down in your neighbourhood?... the chinese mentality is business. there is deceit when cat meat is sold off as beef chop suey
Chris Mifsud
Nov 24th 2012, 22:00
I disagree... If he wants to practice his culture he can do it in China, not that i agree with it.
In Pakistan and Iran they have many cultures too, some very barbaric, that doesnt give them the right to practice it here.
Brian Han
Nov 24th 2012, 22:05
It's so stupid by saying cats are cows for Chinese.
Sheila Caruana
Nov 24th 2012, 22:20
Charlie, this man must respect Western culture if he chooses to live here......he can eat his cats back home.
James Dewar
Nov 24th 2012, 23:26
Yes and they are welcome to do so in China and for the record what we eat is not normally stolen and is graded and deemed to be fit for human consumption.
Naomi Attard Borg
Nov 25th 2012, 06:19
They have even taken cats that belonged to someone! Does your comment justify stealing!!
J Bonello
Nov 25th 2012, 07:04
So what ! If it is in their culture to be animals themselves then might as well do it in their own country. I think we are giving in too too much nonsense and trouble with these people. Don't tell me that they don't have what to eat !!!!
Michelle Galea
Nov 25th 2012, 07:59
However last I checked we were in Malta - what if you were a Hindu and you realised you were being served beef instead of lamb?
And for the other lot of you saying its better to eat them since they will die a horrible death - does that mean we should round up and eat all the dying human population of the world?
You seem to all be uncultured and insensitive know it alls.
Joanne Falzon
Nov 25th 2012, 08:09
If they want to eat cats they go and eat in ther own country not steal our cats and sell as rabbit or chicken...it shows you are not an animal lover!
Mic Scalpello
Nov 25th 2012, 09:04
He can do that in his own community, or country for that matter. But as they say: 'When in Rome, do as the Romans do.' Simple as that.
Sheila Caruana
Nov 25th 2012, 14:42
Weldone Charlie.....great advert for Chinese restaurants!!! NOT
vincent Lia
Nov 24th 2012, 21:26
It is wrong that these cats are caught to be cooked. It is also wrong that Maltese people are allowing others to abandon their cats or other pets. Stray cats suffer a lot during winter with cold and rain. A female cat can have three litters a year producing 20 kittens. Most of these die a horrible death because of the elements and malnutrition, otherwise the cat population would explode.
Christian Sciberras
Nov 24th 2012, 22:11
Let me guess, God the almighty invented cows, sheep and pigs for consumption, but cats, dogs etc as companions.
Another guess, a priest told you so, right?
Sometimes I think Catholics are no better than Buddhists or Muslims, regardless of what they preach.
Peppi Azzopardi
Nov 24th 2012, 21:03
Kieku dawn flok qtates kienu fniek x kien jigri? Din zgur ipokrezija. Min jiekol il laham u jitkellem kontra l mohqrija ta l annimali qisu prostituta jitkellem fuq il virgnita.
Wilfrid Buttigieg
Nov 24th 2012, 21:34
Ghadna ma nafux ghalfejn dawn il-qtates inqabdu jew x'sar minnhom. La instabu 3 karkassi ta' qtates nassumi li l-ohrajn inqatlu wkoll. Fenek jinqatel b'daqqa fuq il-kozz t'ghjonqu. Imma qattus, hemm metodi differenti skond ghalfejn ikun ser jinqatel. Ma rridx nispjega b'liema mod krudili jinqatel qattus jew kull annimal li tkun trid tehodlu il-'fur' tieghu ghal uzu kummercjali. J'Alla nkunu nafu!
fleur cilia buckett
Nov 25th 2012, 00:00
le ahna l-attivisti sur azzopardi naqbzu ghal kul annimal mhux qal qtates jew il klieb? bhal meta ghamlu culling fuq il pigeons - din sewwa?!
Kevin Bonello
Nov 25th 2012, 08:46
Allura qed tghid li ghamel sew?! u hallina Peppi! Allura nghidu ahna noqtlu kollox ghax nieklu fniek, naghag u baqar
Kevin Bonello
Nov 25th 2012, 08:47
Allura qed tghid li ghamel sew Peppi?!
Joe Fenech
Nov 26th 2012, 00:25
Tghallem ikteb!
I Mercieca
Nov 24th 2012, 21:00
That's why I never eat Chinese !
Brian Han
Nov 24th 2012, 20:54
The three carcasses are not yet being tested and confirmed as cat. So don't make such harsh conclusion for now.
Buying pet food doesnt mean the Chinese guy is guilty .The final truth will tell and we should wait and see.
john mifsud
Nov 24th 2012, 20:50
An other reason why to turn vegeterian! It's not only this guy who was cruel to animals it's every single person who eats meat! For your info just watch the movie earthlinks to understand the process pain and cruelty animals end up going through for our own pleasure whilst eating a steak!
Not to mention other reasons .....
Naomi Attard Borg
Nov 24th 2012, 22:17
Very well said! Prosit! Agree with you 100%
maria borg
Nov 24th 2012, 20:11
it is disgusting that some people are making comments as if it is something funny that all those cats have been killed and also disgusting that some people think of just themselves and their properties or stomach even if the horrible thing happened on innocent creatures
x ipokrezijja ta nies
Irena Shuke
Nov 25th 2012, 08:45
Absolutely agreed.
The somewhat funny thing in it (to me) seems that these people have allegedly showed everyone very blatantly that anything that moves is edible and absolutely NO life is sacred or special. (And yes, some other people even eat other people and probably find a "cultural" excuse to that too)
J Portelli
Nov 24th 2012, 19:54
Globally huma food is as varied as the opinions regarding their consumption. There is no morally correct answer as to what is acceptable to eat, perhaps excepting cannibalism. Globally insects are the most consumed source of protein. Illegal, and culturally abhorrent perhaps, but ultimately he was reducing cat-faeces and toxoplasmosis - (look it up) which is otherwise encouraged by the cat feeders
A. Bugeja
Nov 24th 2012, 23:25
J. Portelli " Illegal, and culturally abhorrent perhaps, but ultimately he was reducing cat-faeces and toxoplasmosis - (look it up) which is otherwise encouraged by the cat feeders" you cant be serious how can you condemm cats when its the original owner who thought a kitten is cute but when it grows up they throw it out.. its the humans who have to learn and not the animals have to suffer!!!!!
Mark Vella
Nov 24th 2012, 19:44
There are 3 or 4 Chinese Restaurants in M'Scala and in the report was not mentioned in which one he was working. I think hard times will come up now for these restaurants now. Anyhow, it's good for the man, that only the police caught him first.
James Dewar
Nov 24th 2012, 20:07
Yes if he had been caught by a "big cat" he could have been torn to shreds and served up somewhere as Oriental Beef Strips!
Desmond Mangion
Nov 24th 2012, 21:28
What made you think these cats were being served at a restaurant ? don't be silly and jump to conclusions, cat meat tastes like rabbit and there is no rabbit on Chinese menus(if you ever been to one)
Mr leo attard
Nov 24th 2012, 21:48
@desmond mangion.. many chinese cater to local tastes, ex in the states many chinese offer brown rice for the health-conscious (brown rice is non-chinese) in the USA chinese have a rep for using cats ( it's money, not culture based) you have to assure the integrity of the establishment. Remember the made in china baby food that was tampered with and caused infant deaths? business!
James Dewar
Nov 24th 2012, 23:32
@ Desmond Mangion: No rabbit advertised on Chinese menus but I am lead to believe that rabbit can taste like chicken and there is lots of chicken on Chinese menus! Haven't sampled either cat or rabbit and never will so can't comment from personal experience.
W Azzopardi
Nov 24th 2012, 19:44
Is it not a shame that Malta and Gozo are full of stray cats and dogs? Is it so difficult to find a place big enough where all these can be homed and looked after? In the next election I am ready to vote the party who promise to do this. The present government has already done much, but it is not enough.
Mr J Grech
Nov 24th 2012, 19:37
Hi welcome to City Wok can I take your order preeeaaase.....(South Park)
M Attard
Nov 24th 2012, 19:50
Kitty Wok you mean?
Alfie Lewis
Nov 24th 2012, 19:35
Ms. Attard Borg there must be a hell of injury horses than , cause one sees horse meat
for sale everywhere
Naomi Attard Borg
Nov 24th 2012, 20:05
Mr. Lewis, several butcher shops opt not to sell horse meat, so it is not for sale everywhere!
Christian Sciberras
Nov 24th 2012, 22:13
Ms Attard-Borg, the keyword is "OPT". This is not the same as making consumption illegal...
Eddy Privitera
Nov 24th 2012, 19:23
Hemm bzonn li dan l-ammont kollu ta' Cinizi li dehlin Malta qishom cittadini tal-UE jigi investigat. Nispera li dan l-individwu, jekk hati, wara li jiehu li haqqu jintbaghat lura minn fejn gie !
fleur cilia buckett
Nov 24th 2012, 21:10
eh mela issa naraw il gustizzja li ha ssir!!! pfftttt
Paul Mizzi
Nov 24th 2012, 18:57
Xi dwejjaq, min jaf kemm kilt qtates minajr ma naf go Chinese Resaurants. Poor cats. No more Chinese food for me.
Desmond Mangion
Nov 24th 2012, 21:37
Spaghetti with rabbit souce is a good alternative
Ramon Casha
Nov 24th 2012, 18:55
Question is: Is there any actual law that prohibits the consumption of cats, however distasteful we may find it? Assuming that they were not selling them as some other meat, and that these were stray cats, it's quite possible that they broke no law. Lots of people are saying there is a law but nobody has cited one. Simply killing an animal is not animal cruelty unless it's done in a painful way.
Trevor Lorenzo Mizzi
Nov 24th 2012, 19:56
The Chinese torture dogs just before slaughter as they say the adrenaline in the dog's system during the painful and terror filled ordeal right just before slaughter add a delicious musky flavour to the meat.
These people live to a different standard than most europeans. There are laws against selling uncertified meat and probably laws against misrepresentation if cooked meat is sold as pork etc.
James Dewar
Nov 24th 2012, 20:11
Theft of the cats would do for starters thereafter the supply of un-certified food into the food chain no and no doubt a whole host of other infringements could be attached to this distatsteful unacceptable business not to mention the moral aspect of it all.
Ramon Casha
Nov 25th 2012, 16:07
@Trevor: Speculation
@James: If they were strays with no collar or microchip, they were not stolen. Also, maybe they were eating them themselves, not selling them.
Charles Grixti
Nov 26th 2012, 05:21
@Raymond Casha
No it is not speculation. The torture of dogs before slaughter is well docoumented if you care to do some research. Something that the Chinese like to keep hidden from Westerners. So is the eating of rats, saw a documentary that showed restaurant singeing the fur of the rats before they were cooked. Yummy.
David Hill
Nov 24th 2012, 18:54
Just remember that Cat has often been sold as Rabbit, and who eats rabbit in Malta?
Better have a closer look at the bones of the next ones you eat.
mark borg
Nov 24th 2012, 19:22
exactly !
Wilfrid Buttigieg
Nov 24th 2012, 18:44
A community of 200 Chinese residing in Hal Far??? That is rather peculiar!!! Are they employed in some factory? If so, what does this factory produce?? Does anybody know??
Pavlaki Pano Aroditis
Nov 25th 2012, 17:09
Well,a major local (smart) clothing company was bought by the Chinese, I believe. Cheaper labour. I think there may be a number of Chinese companies here, so they may be working here with some state agreement in giving visas. There was also the scandal of Malta embassy in China giving out visas, too. Expect more Chinese here.
anthony sultana
Nov 24th 2012, 18:39
I lived with cats all my life, one thing one must know sray cats usually have warms in their belly, so the warms are cooked and eaten also?
Phil Zammit
Nov 25th 2012, 04:28
Yes, they get "warm" when cooked - whether it be cats or broccoli.
Pauline Peterson
Nov 25th 2012, 11:14
@Phil - I think the writer meant - worms in the belly.
Justin Borg Saywell
Nov 24th 2012, 18:30
Is this a question of culture and how TOLERANT we are or a question of animal rights? (If it's about animal rights, how come no one is defending the right of snails to live in peace?)
M Borg
Nov 24th 2012, 19:41
We defend cats, and I am not saying that cats should be killed, but many do not defend unborn children and are in favour of abortion.
What a stupid world we live in !!
Marcus Vella Bardon
Nov 25th 2012, 21:11
for that matter , ghaliex ma nhallux il hass u tadam jghixu fil paci ukoll !!!
Goran Savic
Nov 24th 2012, 18:27
yesterday i eat chinese :)
jenny saliba
Nov 24th 2012, 19:38
and you're smiling because ???
James Dewar
Nov 24th 2012, 20:13
And tomorrow? Probably depends how you are "feline"!
fleur cilia buckett
Nov 24th 2012, 21:12
and stray cats have worms - so if that is the case of you eating chinese - just maybe you had a cat that cooked with worms - nice one!
Naomi Attard Borg
Nov 24th 2012, 18:27
Some people who commented below are unaware that it would be better to keep their mouth shut and let other think that they are ignorant rather than opening their mouths and prove it!!
fleur cilia buckett
Nov 24th 2012, 21:13
well said Naomi its so clear people think this is a funny issue and its disgusting :-(
Ivan Falzon
Nov 24th 2012, 18:22
Ukoll, qeghdin naqbzu ghalih lil dan!!!
mur ghamel xi haga kontra l-ligi f'pajjizu ara ihallukx kwiet.
U fuq nota ohra,nispera li kull min qieghed jitkaza ma jmurx jixtri m'ghand tal-laham nhar it-Tnejn ghax m'hemmx differenza bejn qattus u fenek jew baqra fl-opinjoni tieghi.
Alfie Lewis
Nov 24th 2012, 18:20
How about horses, they are intelligent , obidient,yet here are people that eat them, definitly do me
Naomi Attard Borg
Nov 24th 2012, 18:51
Horses are put down and the meat is sold only when they are injured! They definitely are not killed for their meat!
Elayne Cuschieri
Nov 24th 2012, 19:55
I have my doubts that horse meat comes only from injured horses. How many horses get injured? Surely not that much as nowadays you can easily purchase horse meat.
Charles J. Buttigieg
Nov 24th 2012, 18:06
If you want to tell cats' meat from rabbits' there is a simple test........give a cat a piece of the fried or raw stuff and if it doesn't eat it you're guaranteed that the meat is cat's. Cats are carnivore but unlike human cannibals they do not eat their own species.
DD Galea
Nov 24th 2012, 20:11
idea tajba - niehdu qattus haj maghna meta imorru nieklu barra.
C. Bezzina
Nov 24th 2012, 18:05
Soon Hal Far will be turned into a China Town! or Else a Multi culture Village. Since you are in Malta do as the Maltese do . NO MORE CHINESE FOOD!
Mark Anthony Fenech
Nov 24th 2012, 19:14
Just listen to yourself lol
Joe Scicluna
Nov 24th 2012, 18:05
It cant be that hard to find out who is selling the cats as Rabbit in the restaurants in Marsascala,
Before the Police went public all that had to do was Raid all Chinese restaurants in that area and search for the Cats, too late now i know.
This happens in every country around the world not just Malta
Don`t let it put you off from eating at Chinese restaurants not all are the same.
James Dewar
Nov 24th 2012, 20:19
No, but beware of the ones who this week say that your previously favourite dish is "off the menu "fur" a while".
James Dewar
Nov 24th 2012, 18:05
Raking in a bin with the possibility of finding a rotting cat carcasse with no gloves?
Joe Spiteri
Nov 24th 2012, 17:56
May I ask why a community of 200 Chinese is living here in Malta? Could they also, like so many other nationals who arrived here illegally, be escaping persecution and war in China and are awaiting asylum protection? Seems our border controls don't exist at all!
Christina Sammut
Nov 24th 2012, 17:47
I have boycotted oriental, mainly chinese, food long time ago. They have no respect to any of the wonderful creatures we treat as pets, like cats, dogs, etc. Also, once I was convinced by a friend to eat at a chinese restaurant; what should have been a chicken was definetly not. After that meal I had the worst nausea in my life. I was also told that they even use rats as delicacies.
Sheila Caruana
Nov 25th 2012, 17:17
Clever decision Christina.....no more Chinese for me too.Too many sauces and stewes and in reality you never know what's in the dish.
Mark Anthony Fenech
Nov 24th 2012, 17:40
I'm wondering about the chaos that will ensue if someone applies for a permission to run a cat farm...
J Martinelli
Nov 24th 2012, 19:24
Not as much as applying to run a cat house!
fleur cilia buckett
Nov 24th 2012, 21:14
whats a cat farm? pls explain - thanks!
Mark Anthony Fenech
Nov 25th 2012, 10:52
@ fleur: a farm where cats are reared so that they will be eaten - like a cow farm or a pig farm.
Vince Cachia
Nov 24th 2012, 17:32
When ships with Philippine crew used to enter for repaires at MDD, most dogs which were fed daily by the workers and other ships' crews, disappear overnight. Why?? Because Philippines eat dogs' meat regularly. They could not find dogs' meat for sale so they would eat our dogs. They even eat monkeys and monkey brain is a delicacy in the Philippines!! They never arrested any Philippino.
S Saliba
Nov 24th 2012, 17:22
@ DD Galea ....have you ever been to any restaurant in Malta and there was cat on the menu? Of course not!!! So first of all if someone is cooking them in a restaurant they are deceiving their clients by not putting them on the menu. Secondly since this is being done in an underhand manner, it has nothing to do with their custom or tradition. Having said that it's still speculation for now.
DD Galea
Nov 24th 2012, 20:25
Siehbi lil dan irrastawh ghax sabulu tletti qtates fil van u mhux ghax beda jservihom taht xi isem iehor fl storant. jekk hu hekk mela naqblu li haqqu jigi ikundanat. imma ma jistax issir plejtu ghax ciniz jiekol qattus u ahna nistu nieklu bosta animali ohra. Bhal dak li qallu ghandna xi dritt divin niddecidu min jiekol xiex.
andreana attard
Nov 24th 2012, 17:12
There are 200 Chinese people living in Hal Far?? Most probably this man is feeding them or helping them to survive, where's the problem with that? As long as he gets only stray cats, that's fine. But are the cats healthy -that's an important concern.
Naomi Attard Borg
Nov 24th 2012, 17:32
How about finding a job to survive??
martin chetcuti
Nov 24th 2012, 17:44
@andreana attard
Quote : ''Most probably this man is feeding them or helping them to survive, where's the problem with that?''
NO this is not justified in MALTA as European civilised country.....
andreana attard
Nov 24th 2012, 18:23
1. Some immigrants have jobs but are seriously underpaid. They can’t afford to eat meat everyday.
2. “Malta is a civilized country”. Yes, it is and some Maltese people eat snails, birds, fish – all of which are in the wild, therefore they are unfarmed animals.
3. Personally, I wouldn’t eat a stray cat but I do say, live and let live.
Trevor Lorenzo Mizzi
Nov 24th 2012, 19:13
andrea attard,
But the live and let live statement flies out the window if cat meat is passed off as chicken or pork to unsuspecting paying patrons of Chinese restaurants like has happened countless times in Chinese restaurants in North America and the rest of Europe. Some shortsighted get rich quick Chinese restauranteurs love pulling this stunt outside their homeland till they get caught.
mark borg
Nov 24th 2012, 19:20
@andreanna attard
not sure if you have a dog (probbably not by the way you reason) but how would you feel if someone kills (god only knowns in what method) and cooks it to eat it ?
anthony sultana
Nov 24th 2012, 17:01
Last time I ate Chinese food was 2 years ago, I ate noodles with rabbit sause but when I start eating the taste was very strange,could'nt eat it because it did'nt tast like a rabbit and was not tender, so now I am imagining that was an old cat.
Karl Farrugia
Nov 24th 2012, 17:58
Thank you Mr Sultana for your interesting anecdote, you've brightened up my day
Paul A Vella
Nov 24th 2012, 16:36
A lot of people here seem to think it's ok for a foreigner (Chinese in this case) to come here and carry on with customs and traditions as they do back home. Well, it's not...we are here in Malta, our island, our traditions and customs have nothing to do with theirs. We treat cats well, at least most of us do and keep cats as pets in our homes. Yes rabbits are eaten here, so what!!
Heidi Buttigieg
Nov 24th 2012, 17:12
wellsaid Paul
Trevor Lorenzo Mizzi
Nov 24th 2012, 17:19
I agree with you 100 %
This Political Correctness disease has to be curtailed as it covers up too many sins at our expense.
Vince Cachia
Nov 24th 2012, 17:20
I agree with D D Galea....what is the difference between you eating a cat and I eating rabbit or chicken????I do not eat scorpions but they do!!! I do not eat lizards but Australian Aborigines do. I hate rice but go AND SAY THAT IN THE EAST!!!!
Mark Anthony Fenech
Nov 24th 2012, 17:41
Traditions are not laws and people should be free to flout them. If rabbits are eaten why not cats?
James Ellul
Nov 24th 2012, 17:44
if these were not killed for fun but for food then surely there is nothing wrong with that
what's the difference between a rabbit/cow/pig and a cat. Even rabbits are kept as pets yet no one complains
it's wrong when animals are killed for fun!!!
James Dewar
Nov 24th 2012, 18:02
Couldn't agree more, and said so in an earlier post.
Charles Grixti
Nov 24th 2012, 18:54
Cats in European culture are kept as companion animals and NOT for food. The Chinese eat cats, dogs, rats and any source of protein they can find, including human flesh, which was licenced to purchase during Mao' s reign - so that those dissidents did not go to waste!
These poor cats that are to be found neglected in Malta are to the shame of the Maltese nation.
fleur cilia buckett
Nov 24th 2012, 21:15
and horsemeat is still on our menus too!
DD Galea
Nov 24th 2012, 16:36
U xhni l akkuza? l qabad qattus ha jieklu? mela malta hawn xi ligi ma tistax tiekol qattus. Xi tghidu li min ghada narestaw lil dawk li nsinbulhom ghal l ikel tigieg, fniek, majjal, canga, laham taz ziemel, bcicen, hut u lista tkompli....u halluna ha nghixu
martin chetcuti
Nov 24th 2012, 17:11
@DD Galea
Stenbah ftit qabel tikkumenta.
L'akkuza hi li hawn Malta ma noqtlux qtates ghal ikel forsi kin hemm qtates li huma ta'nies hu dan seta qabad hu seraqom. Hekk sewwa...
Heidi Buttigieg
Nov 24th 2012, 17:13
ahna malta edin u hawn le ma niklux qtates/HALLIJHOM HA JGHIXU LIL QTATES FIL KWIET
David Farrugia
Nov 24th 2012, 17:26
If i'm not mistaken, the slaughtering of animals, for any reason whatsoever, requires a license.
Naomi Attard Borg
Nov 24th 2012, 18:26
Since in Malta we eat pork, rabbit meat and beef, does it mean that I can go and steal a rabbit, a pig or a cow to eat it or sell it?? The thing the cats could have belonged to someone, including me as a feeder!
DD Galea
Nov 24th 2012, 21:15
@ Martin Chetcuti
L artiklu jghid stray cat u mhemmx rappoti li xi hadd dahlulu id dar hadulu il pussy. u jekk kienu ta xi hadd u kienu qed jigru barra.....xkienu qed jaghmel il qattus jigri barra?
Iris Baitrman
Nov 24th 2012, 16:32
We go to many restaurants here in Gozo nearly twice a week, i have never tasted rabbit, however how can one tell between a rabbit and a cat when presented on a plated with all the trimmings & dimm lights and a bottle of wine, cause after a few gins i can't tell what day it is let alone see what i am eating, but then again we shalll make a point of never to put a foot in a chinese restaurant. EVER*
Michael Camileri
Nov 24th 2012, 17:14
If thats the case.. then let cat be on the menu! It tastes good!
Gordon Lawrence
Nov 24th 2012, 16:30
thes animals are killed in the most barbaric way they are plunged into boiling hot water alive, it is supposed to be easier to skin them and the meat is supposed to be more tender, if you think it is ok to do this then you are as bad as them, malta has a bad enough reputation for animal cruelty without this chinese or not
Naomi Attard Borg
Nov 24th 2012, 17:26
Several friends of mine who live abroad sometimes feel embarrassed to state that come from a country which 'cherishes' Christian values and yet favours animal cruelty!!
russell fenech
Nov 24th 2012, 16:19
i wish they d have a popular pigeon dish,, the valletta flying rats are just too much.. i think anybody caught feeding them should be charged. thats not being an animal lover .. it only helps spread disease..
martin chetcuti
Nov 24th 2012, 16:18
Recently in Italy during summer a Chinese was arrested for netting out of the sea large amounts of jellyfish to use them with sauce in his restaurant, needless to say he was arrested for his strange endeavour.
For me as a cat lover and as it seem that there culture everything is edible I encourage all of you that think like me to BOYCOTT there restaurants.....
Rosie Caruana
Nov 24th 2012, 16:17
G'day from downunder, in Sydney we have hundreds of Chinese restauranst, funny enough i read a similar story here in Australia, a few Dutch friends of ours had the same instant in Holland where the neighbours noticed that alot of cats were going missing near to a chinese restaurant. This man has let his countrymen down good and proper as there is no way i'll be frequent a chinese tent. CHOW CHOW
ann sciberras
Nov 24th 2012, 16:09
It did make me wonder about Paul Connors comment, However some Maltese believe that a rainbow is water being sucked from the sea
Pippo de Marco
Nov 24th 2012, 16:03
This sounds more like a wholesale operation than a retail one ... Now there's a thought !
Ms.D. Galea
Nov 24th 2012, 15:48
In China , they eat anything , rats, cats, dogs, even cardboard treated with chemicals and then eaten as a meat substitute. They put paint derivatives in their own babies food.What they do there is their business and that of the world health porganization.
Here , their feeding habits are an abomination. Cats in our society are considered as pets and an integratl part of the family.,
Justin Spiteri
Nov 24th 2012, 16:53
Then why are they stray?
fleur cilia buckett
Nov 24th 2012, 21:17
yeah and they can keep their traditions to their country - chinese, koreans whatever and leave our cats - the strays that are dearly loved, neuteured and fed!
O. Tretyak
Nov 24th 2012, 15:40
Chinese proverb: "To cook a rabbit you must at least have a cat".
fenCATa anyone?
carmen coleiro
Nov 24th 2012, 17:33
To answer Mr Justin Spiteri...there are many stray cats for several reasons..1. cause some irresponsible people don t neuter there pet cats and throw them out in the streets when they get pregnant..so these people are also cruel..2. Although the plan to neuter stray cats was vastly covered, there still are stray cats which have not been reached...& thus the need for the help of the Local Councils
Matthew Grima
Nov 24th 2012, 15:23
Are we only bothered about this because cats are seen as pets?
Naomi Attard Borg
Nov 24th 2012, 17:28
I'm not bothered with this because cats are seen as pets. I could have been a feeder of one of these cats!! If this man is allowed to steal cats, sell them or cook them himself, does this imply that I can steal animals which are not seen as pets??
fleur cilia buckett
Nov 24th 2012, 21:18
strays are not pets and this is wrong on so many levels!
Chris Borg
Nov 24th 2012, 15:19
I will never go to a chinese resturant again!!
John Vella
Nov 24th 2012, 16:35
Amen!! :)
Charles Vassallo
Nov 24th 2012, 15:18
Shouldn't the Animal Welfare Officer been wearing protective gloves whilst rummaging through the skip!?
A.J. Schembri
Nov 24th 2012, 15:05
Where were all the animal lovers when last week the courts ordered to put down a large number or sheep in Gozo because they were not registered. For the court not registered equals unhealthy so no pity. From the news video they looked well feed and healthy.
michelle lungaro
Nov 24th 2012, 14:50
I am disgusted at some comments here.You call yourself animal lovers? I do have two cats at home and both were strays I wish I have more time and bigger place to keep more but I can't. I do also give dry food in front of my home to stray cats which I wait for them to eat everything and leave the place clean.That man lives here in Malta not Asia or China.If he is guilty, he must be punished,what he allegedly did is cruel.
Mr.W Cassar
Nov 24th 2012, 15:24
Just because its a cat?
The only thing I would prosecute him for would be if he sold the cat meat, as another meat and for not slaughtering humanly, or having an illegal abattoir.
Rabbits are pets too but I doubt you will want to punish rabbit killers too?
Ms maria bonnici
Nov 24th 2012, 14:41
this is not funny.......people doing these things to these poor cats is illegal........we consider ourselves maltese not asians....so they are breaking the law........they should be punished in the same way..........after all they are in our country and not in theirs...........care of an asian of chinese meal anyone? NO WAY
paul camilleri
Nov 24th 2012, 15:04
no its not funny not because of the cats but of what we might be given to eat without knowing. and what law are you refering to?? there is no law against catching cats? in fact there is no law against cooking cats! so you tell me what law did this person or persons break?
Joseph Micallef
Nov 24th 2012, 16:29
There is a law against killing cats though - its called animal cruelty!
D. Xerri
Nov 24th 2012, 14:16
I bet many of the Maltese will Steer Clear from Chinese Dinners and Buffets this Festive Season :)
Rita Simpson
Nov 24th 2012, 14:14
Wake up! Realise the only reason Malta is not overrun with rats is because strays / ferals are left to roam and be free, people care for cats. Rat populations increase where cats decrease.You only have to visit UK to know it's overrun with rats, partly because strays are always picked up, and partly because they only collect rubbish every two weeks. Care for, and let cats help us.
michelle lungaro
Nov 24th 2012, 14:52
You are right Rita Simpson.I agree 100% with you.
Marthese Mussett
Nov 24th 2012, 15:04
How true Rita!I have two cats who used to be strays but sometimes they leave the house to roam around.Today one of them caught a mouse from a field nearby.My aunt always tells me they always kept a cat at the farm to keep rats away .Cats are beautiful and harmless creatures. .
Charles Vassallo
Nov 24th 2012, 15:18
Spot on Ms Simpson
Mr.W Cassar
Nov 24th 2012, 15:25
A lot of food is not eaten by the strays and that brings rats too.
Mrs M. Attard
Nov 24th 2012, 14:06
For all those poking fun at this story which has shocked cat lovers to the core, please take a look at this video, may be too intense for some - be warned.
http://youtu.be/D_5K-MHjxMw
fleur cilia buckett
Nov 24th 2012, 21:20
i saw this earlier this week on mute and i felt sick to the stomach - no animal deserves pain and dogs and cats go through horrendous pain being skinned alive and also boiled alive! WE WANT JUSTICE!
Joseph Borg
Nov 24th 2012, 14:02
No more chinese food for me.
ray alamango
Nov 24th 2012, 13:59
Once a friend of mine who went on holiday to China told me, that he was warned by the tour leader, that everything that stands on four legs is eaten, except chairs and tables.
Andrew Azzopardi
Nov 24th 2012, 13:51
It is a long-standing Maltese urban myth that 'fenkata' restaurants substitute cat for rabbit meat.
Some fifteen years ago, a (then) well-known Oriental restaurant in St Julians was shut down by health inspectors after cat carcasses were found in the freezers, ready to be cooked and served as only God knows what.
Charles J. Buttigieg
Nov 24th 2012, 13:37
We eat pork,the Arabs detest it; we eat snails, the Brits detest them; the Orientals like cats' meat........ Cats' meat is good in taste and as nourishing as rabbit meat. It's all a frame of mind.
mario salnitro
Nov 24th 2012, 13:32
i told you that they were being eaten!!!
Mr Ruben Gatt
Nov 24th 2012, 13:25
First of all the problem lies with people, having no idea the commitment it entails to own a pet.....However we do not have china town here so for me whatever this guy is doing with cats, should be punished...my 2 cents of course...
paul camilleri
Nov 24th 2012, 13:20
also one must address the matter if this person was selling them to other resturants and if he sold them with the buyers knowledge that they indeed were cats? also if the meat was sold to the general public that were not informed of the meats origin? but if sold to Asians that requested such meats while it is not ilegal to hunt cats what sort of punishment would one give?
Karmenu D'Amato
Nov 24th 2012, 13:19
We eat, rabbit, horse, chicken, goats, lamb, pigs, fish, frogs, snails....as long as I know what's in my food, no problem.
jenny saliba
Nov 24th 2012, 19:40
would you eat your own mother as long as you knew it was your mother? show some respect mate. a lot of people in malta have cats as pets and consider them part of the family. dont be vulgar please
paul camilleri
Nov 24th 2012, 13:16
eating cats, dogs and some types of insects are all considered as edible foods for Chinese and other Asian nations so in the eyes of this Chinaman he is doing nothing wrong if these cats were killed for eating purposes. however we do not have laws that state that one cannot catch stray cats and eat them, after all they belong to no one.what is less cruel, be eaten or left stray?
P. Ciantar
Nov 24th 2012, 14:09
the problem paul arises if these are sold as rabbits chicken etc. I would wish to order a rabbit and not get a cat or vise versa. Hope the restuarants are named so as until that date no more chinese food for me
James Dewar
Nov 24th 2012, 14:19
Quite simply the cats were not his to take and thereby he is most certainly doing something wrong. Whilst described as "stray" cats there is no way of knowing if some of the cats taken by him were owned and treasured by someone and were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. Reprehensible and unacceptable beaviour that should not be condoned and should be punished.
James Dewar
Nov 24th 2012, 14:23
Malta isn't in Asia. Whilst it may well be acceptable to steal and eat "stray" cats in some Asian countries it is not in Malta. "When in Rome do as the Romans do" and all that applies equally to the customs and laws of Malta as it does to the Italian city. Since when was it acceptable for migrants to enforce their customs and practices on their host country?
Carmel Serracino-inglott
Nov 24th 2012, 14:41
YES we do . Nobody can catch cats ( even stray ones) without police permission. Cats can roam anywhere they like without being pestered. If we do not have a written law refer to the British law for guidance. Cats have different rioghts from dogs. I repeat nobody can transfere cats from any place to another especially stray cats if not having the go ahead by the police. The authorised bodies are 2
M Vella
Nov 24th 2012, 14:44
like seriously Paul? you need ask what is less cruel...to be left stray or killed and eaten?
Charles Spiteri
Nov 24th 2012, 14:45
But be true to yourself. Will you eat a cat?
Mark Anthony Fenech
Nov 24th 2012, 17:50
@ Charles Spiteri:
Yes I would eat a cat.
Tristan Liu
Nov 25th 2012, 10:53
But in China, chinese never eat horse.
Paul Zammit
Nov 24th 2012, 13:13
Why would anyone be interested in stray-cleansing? hmmm ... something tells me that they're cheaper than chicken :/ Beware: we might start purring soon .. after all, we are what we eat I once was told!
J Martinelli
Nov 24th 2012, 13:54
Your attempt at subtle humour is anything but. BTW 'Chinaman' is not on.
Would you order fried cat meat at a restaurant?
Doesn't one need a licence to catch stray animals which then are normally taken to shelters and not for slaughter? How long has this Chinese fellow been living in Malta? Has he not caught on yet that cat meat is not on menu here? Maybe the law will adjourn him promptly.
Vanessa Mifsud
Nov 24th 2012, 14:26
It is not something new that Chinese cook cats instead as the taste is similar apparently.
Paul Zammit
Nov 24th 2012, 15:02
@Martinelli
well .. would you order fried chicken, rabbit or whatever else at a chinese -or otherwise- restaurant? Yes u would ... hence, why not cat? (of course, assuming the cats were farmed not strays!)
J Martinelli
Nov 24th 2012, 19:38
@ Paul Zammit
By the same token, if you eat at a Chinese restaurant and you find 'cat' on their menu, would you order it?
But that's not the point. Several here expressed concern that when eating Chinese, they may have unknowingly consumed cat assuming it was chicken/pork.
The point is that this amounts to deceit and hiding the practice from the public is worse. If you like cat meat, enjoy!
jenny saliba
Nov 24th 2012, 19:43
very sad of you to try and pass a joke on a matter like this.
Pete Rixon
Nov 24th 2012, 13:11
It's sad so many people find this story funny! Yes you can argue that meat is meat whether it's cat/cow/panda bum. The fact is these cats were either once supposedly loved pets (until the owners got bored of them) or they were born on the street from pregnant cats which were also thrown out of their homes at some point. Don't hate the strays, hate the idiotic and careless owners.
Carmel Serracino-inglott
Nov 24th 2012, 14:48
Dear Pete you are 90% right BUT they may have been somebodies going for a stroll. IT is not only legal but it is a right for cats to walk about outside. Also the strays normally are being fed by a feeder and legally the cats are the feeder's even if not, picking up cats to keep or depositing them somewhere else is just stealing and also cruelty inflicted on these cats because cats are territorial
fleur cilia buckett
Nov 24th 2012, 21:23
well said pete!
Joseph N. Attard
Nov 24th 2012, 13:05
"Three cats found in freezer". God only knows how many Maltese and perhaps tourists have possibly been eating cat meat. Please give him the harshest lawful sentence if he is found guilty. Find out to which catering establishment this man is possibly linked, close it down forever, and fine the owners crippling tens of thousands of euro as a deterrent to others.
paul camilleri
Nov 24th 2012, 13:32
il laj mela kemm jaqalaw tac chinese resturants? tens of thousands why not make it a round million and get it over with? i rather have them deported him his family and his relatives but only if he is found guilty of serving cat meat without the clients knowledge because i do not think there is a law in hunting stray cats!!!
Carmel Serracino-inglott
Nov 24th 2012, 14:50
To Paul,
Yes there is a law. Do not try to do it because if caught you may be fined.
ann sciberras
Nov 24th 2012, 13:04
James Connor,
Cats eyes is purely a referral to cats eyes because cats eyes shine in the night...they are reflectors. Are you having a joke or something?
paul camilleri
Nov 24th 2012, 13:28
iktar int saw and deemed it fit to reply, it was obvious that the guy was joking!!!
Pete Rixon
Nov 24th 2012, 13:37
Ann I think he reckons he's a comedian. Either that or he has learning difficulties! Lol
Freda Harris
Nov 24th 2012, 13:01
If the activity which is the subject of this and earlier articles is not stopped and severely punished then watch for the new delicacy of "Curried Cat" on the menu at selected Chinese restaurants and takeaways to be followed by "Diced Dog" and even sliced "Roast Homo Sapiens".
Pierre Bugeja
Nov 24th 2012, 12:57
Which explains why i never eat at chinese restaurants
graham crowhurst
Nov 24th 2012, 12:54
Lets face it, they are not much better the animals their selves. this is nothing! just a day in life to them. I would love to get hold of them.
Maria Sharp
Nov 24th 2012, 12:49
Animal welfare activists should have taken care that stray cats are homed and not leave these abandoned cats on the streets littering their environment. What's even worse these "animal lovers" add on to the litter and general ill-health practice by taking out their food leftovers for the cats to feed on, the cats don't consume all & rats feasting all night. Cheers!
Carmel Serracino-inglott
Nov 24th 2012, 14:58
Maria,
The cats are not to blame but the stray cats it is their home. I admit feeders should also pay attention notto leave leftovers on the grounds. However Maria you are making amountain out of a mole hole. Nowadays most feeders clean afterwards, take care of sick cats, neuter them and above all love them. That is nowadays the norm ( there are exceptions ) C.feeders are now educated.
Marthese Mussett
Nov 24th 2012, 15:16
Maria in Swieqi I know at least two ladies who collect money for stray cats and have them neautered.Unfortunately they can t home them unless somebody wants to take them in.About the cat food left outside I agree,most feeders buy dry catfood or leave leftovers like meat and fish though,which the cats do eat.
This man had no right to take the cats from the street.
Marthese Mussett
Nov 24th 2012, 15:17
It s also not fair on diners who go out and order food from the menu and get something different in return..cat meat .This man, if guilty, should be severely punished.
Joseph Micallef
Nov 24th 2012, 16:37
Carmel - its called a "mole-hill" not a hole!
Mark Vella
Nov 24th 2012, 12:41
Someone should create a Facebook page to boycott chinese restorants until the guilty are named and shamed. How can i go eat chinese now with thoughts of this article?
Sheila Caruana
Nov 24th 2012, 22:28
I agree totally.
Carmel Zammit
Nov 24th 2012, 12:36
Enjoy your Chinese cuisine mates.
Joe Galea
Nov 24th 2012, 12:36
Il-bebbux huwa legali li tigbru u tieklu jew nista nispicca l-qorti u l-habs? Ghax issa gejna anke biex naqtghu l-hurrieq mill-gnien irridu naraw giex protett. Hafna paroli pero jien ma nistax nimla l-gibja tieghi bl-ilma tax-xita ghax il-bejt dejjem mimli bil-hmieg tal-qtates u ma nistax insib tarfhom. Qattus gie ghandu drittijiet iktar minn cittadin. Tridx nghatuhom il-vot.
Nick Scerri
Nov 24th 2012, 13:26
Jigifieri init qieghed tghid li dawn il-qtates haqqhom il-mewt? Skuzani jekk ma nagbilx mieghek, nahseb jien dawn l-annimali ghandhom dritt jghixu daqs kemm ghandek int Sur Galea. Ftakar li jekk hemm qtates fit-triq huwa tort ta' nies li jiddecidew jabbandunawhom fit triq minghajr ma jsewwuhom. Ma naghtux vot lil-qtates Sur Galea, imma ghal l-inqas thighom id-dritt li jgixu.
Kevin Pace
Nov 24th 2012, 13:41
ghax aw xi erba helwin bhalek nahseb telquwom barra,li kieku ma telquwomx barra in nies ma jkollokx hmieg tal qtates fuq il bejt,mela huda man nies mhux mal qtates ghax dawk m ghandomx ahjar fejn jghamlu hlief fejn isibu Hekk ma ghandhomx vot l qtates ,l vot taghna nuzawh ghalihom.
Carmel Serracino-inglott
Nov 24th 2012, 15:02
The law states that if you do not want cats to trespass your roof surround your perimeter with a fence. There is a way how to do it ; ask stray cats' assoiations and they will help
Marthese Mussett
Nov 24th 2012, 15:20
@Nick prosit risposta tajba u f waqtha.
joseph hili
Nov 24th 2012, 12:31
if he kill and eat these stray cats , he is just cleaning our streets from unwanted animals ,but if he is a restaurant owner he should be named and all his customers go for a check up at his expence
paul camilleri
Nov 24th 2012, 13:26
check up? so far i have not heard of anyone dying from cat poisoning? or even anything closely related so why the need to go have a check up? it wouldnt be the first time that people ate cats especially during a fenkata. also it was recorded that during the war people even ate rats !!!
Carmel Serracino-inglott
Nov 24th 2012, 15:05
He is allegedly stealing the cats they do not belong to him. If anything I hope that will be charged as well for stealing, transporting cats , depositing them somewhere else ( outside their territories,) carrying cat traps, killing cats and ?? feeding any living thing with cats' bodies.
Richard Ellul
Nov 24th 2012, 12:28
I hope that restaurants were not supplied with such animals replacing the much loved rabbit. If I had eaten cats without knowing, well, they tasted good with wine
D Borg
Nov 24th 2012, 12:26
The salient issue should be how the cats were treated and how were they killed.
Otherwise there is no much difference from the other fur coat, leather, and hamburgers or rabbit stew, most of us still take for granted....
adrian agius
Nov 24th 2012, 12:25
I propose that as a punishment this china man should go to the long road adjacent to the runway and start catching the huge rates coming in and out of the runway!!
Mary Tanti
Nov 24th 2012, 12:25
The irony of all this is that people don't mind eating beautiful beasts like cows with their big eyes, sweet and intelligent pigs, lovely baby lambs & amazing flying tuna. And what about the morality of eating chickens kept 3 to a cage with chopped off beaks? Animal welfare is a more serious issue than the above story - cats just have a better PR machine than the rest.
Andrew Azzopardi
Nov 24th 2012, 14:07
No, Ms Tanti. It is very unhealthy for humans to eat other carnivores. The cows and sheep you mention are naturally vegeterian and if you remember well, the Mad Cow Disease outbreak was caused by the feeding of animal protein to cattle.
Mary Tanti
Nov 24th 2012, 19:41
Andrew A my point was not on health but about the hypocrisy of some commentators here who seem to be getting on a high moral stance regarding cultures who eat cats as if eating cows is somehow culturaly more civilized!! From a health angle the most dangerous thing about eating cats is probably the crap cat food they are fed, but then so are the hormones & drugs pumped into the other animals we eat
Charles Grixti
Nov 26th 2012, 05:53
We should not eat any type of flesh from other creatures. We can be vegeterians, it is healthy and leaves a smaller ecological footprint too.
Ms Xixi Caruana
Nov 24th 2012, 12:24
No more chinese restaurants for me !!!!
Sheila Caruana
Nov 24th 2012, 22:29
Same here ......
Colin Stanley
Nov 24th 2012, 12:21
if this guy has a restaurant, you MUST tell us who he is.
fleur cilia buckett
Nov 24th 2012, 21:23
we have a right to know!
Mike Hunt
Nov 24th 2012, 12:09
Do we know whether the cat meat was being served in place of, say, chicken or as an off-menu delicacy?
russell fenech
Nov 24th 2012, 12:07
NAME OF RESTAURANT PLEASE.. I D LOVE TO TRY THIS DELICACY!!
M. Cardona
Nov 24th 2012, 12:06
Chinese Miaow Menu
Miaow chow mein
Miaow fried noodles and/or rice
Sweet and Sour Miaow
Miaow in hoisin sauce served with pancake
Spicy Maiow
Crispy Miaow served with a hint of sesame oil
Black Bean Miaow
Miaow in oyster sauce
Miaow in lemon sauce
Miaow in plum sauce
Yummy Yummy Miaow Miaow
Ms Maria Vella
Nov 24th 2012, 16:54
You think you are funny?
M. Cardona
Nov 25th 2012, 15:08
I didn't see funny on the menu so;
stir fried funny miaow . How's that now, does that make it any better?
Charles Mangion
Nov 24th 2012, 12:04
If you need more cats and rats in Fgura by george stevens munuments you find plenty as some good neighbor keep scatter food on the pavement
Godfrey Bartolo
Nov 24th 2012, 12:02
let the police investigate , then one can say what ever he wants , i love cats .
Mr Tony Gatt
Nov 24th 2012, 12:00
I shall be careful not to eat Chinese for a while!
M. Cardona
Nov 24th 2012, 12:00
If he resides at Hal Far he probably doesn't run a restaurant at all. Let him cull the strays, what's wrong as long as he ate them? We eat the cuddly rabbit and the horse so what's wrong if he ate the cats?
Besides for all those complaining about Chinese food, I understand the concern for possibly being cheated but as the Maltese saying goes; "Li ma joqtolx isemmen".
Eric Camilleri (Q)
Nov 24th 2012, 11:56
The essence of this should be the fact that stray / domestic cats were being picked off the streets and systematically killed in the first place. Had these creatures been rabbits nobody would have bat an eyelid simply because everyone is associating this story with food. Also why prejudice that these cats ended up on all local chinese restaurant plates. BTW rabbits are pets in other countries.
j camilleri
Nov 24th 2012, 11:54
It's not who is capturing the cats but what concerns me most is WHO IS BUYING THEM ?!
M Vella
Nov 24th 2012, 13:09
Best comment so far,Prosit.
Andrew Azzopardi
Nov 24th 2012, 13:42
The answer is obvious. Unsuspecting restaurant patrons.
wendy Brincat
Nov 24th 2012, 11:39
For animal abuse crimes it will be capped by the max permissible by law.Which in shorthen version states such person with regards to animal abuse can be fined not less than 100 ML and fined to a max of 20,000 ML or to a term of imprisoment up to a yr .Both a fine and imprisoment can be handed down.Clearly the punishment will NOT fit the crime as it didnt last year with poor star the dog. A mockery
fleur cilia buckett
Nov 24th 2012, 21:32
and stars culprit still hasnt served his time or paid the fine - may 2013 its been 2 yrs! the judical system is a joke!
james connor
Nov 24th 2012, 11:35
new chinese menu ,cat,curry,cat chow mein,cat chop suey,cat spring rolls,catnap ribs,cat hot and sour soup,cat to take away,and after you have eaten all that food you will need a catnap,this story happened in scotland 40 years ago i am surprised it took so long for the same thing to happen in malta.best way to avoid maybe eating cat in a restuarent is to make your own meals chinese or maltese
Claudine Camilleri
Nov 24th 2012, 11:30
This thing has been going on for ages, and the authorities around 2 years ago already reported that a van was being seen in the limits of St. Paul's Bay collecting cats. But the culprits were never caught! I do not believe that this is the only case in Malta, and I think that we all have to be on the look out for these kind of things!!
Alex Buds
Nov 24th 2012, 11:25
Any rabbit reading this article is probably reflecting on how unfair life is.
Mr.W Cassar
Nov 24th 2012, 11:51
Very Very true.... lol
Mr mike Knight
Nov 24th 2012, 12:44
I don't know xmas is coming and rabbits are getting dearer, whilst pussy cats are much cheaper, and one just cannot tell the difference after a few brandys
joseph caruana
Nov 24th 2012, 13:12
GOOD ONE
Philip Grech
Nov 24th 2012, 11:18
X'ghamel hazin dan? Dan gej minn kultura fejn jieklu l-qtates. L-ingilterra hafna nies ma jieklux fenek(rabbit) ghax jghidu li huwa pet, imma min irid jieklu jista. Jien personali qatt ma nimmaginani niekol saqajn taz-zringijiet u biex taghqad iz-zring huwa protett. Il-qattus protett? Sa fejn naf jien dan ma seraq ebda qattus; gabar biss dawk li sab barra li mhuma ta' hadd.
Mario Ellul
Nov 24th 2012, 12:09
Veru tirraguna Sur Grech! U hallina. Mela, tmur tordna xi sweet and sour pork u jtuk qattus minflok u int minghalik qed tiehu pork! Jekk ma timmaginakx tiekol saqajn taz-zringijiet ahseb wara qattus!!!
Demi Tanti
Nov 24th 2012, 12:13
jekk irrid imur jiekol il qtates jmur minn fejn gie, ma jaghmilx dan go pajjiz fejn il-qtates nadurawhom!
Mr Tony Gatt
Nov 24th 2012, 12:15
Actually rabbit was very popular in England until myxomatosis killed most of them. They are making a comeback, however.
MARIO ATTARD
Nov 24th 2012, 12:28
X'ghamel hazin, kellu miktub fil-menu li dan kien laham tal-qattus? ghax probabbli ghal dan l-iskop gew uzati il-qtates maqbuda!!
William Caligari
Nov 24th 2012, 12:32
kemm tirraguna tajjeb Philip, allura jekk il-qattus tieghi seta harabli
ghal ftit hin, u dan il qattus il-gojjel taghna, jigu dawn il-barranin, bil-
kultura taghhom b'kollox , jinzertaw jaqbduh, u flok jghidu ta' min hu
jiekluh!!!!!!
Possibbli ahna l-Maltin sirna nirragunaw hekk, veru tlaqna l-bahar!!!!!
Mrs M. Attard
Nov 24th 2012, 12:45
Kienu qed jisirqu qtates tan nies biex joqtluhom. Gew irrapurtati hafna qtates nieqsa min sidhom, kif ukoll marru kil kolonji u serqu il qtates taparsi se jissewwew.
Carmel Serracino-inglott
Nov 24th 2012, 15:19
Philp,
Somewhere else I explained that these cat do belong to somebody , nevertheless try to find what the law states (v ide British laws on animals in particular for cats)
Marthese Mussett
Nov 24th 2012, 15:29
Jekk irid juza l kultura tieghu juzaha f pajjizu.Il qtates taghna jhallihom bi kwiethom ,jien ghandi tnejn u gieli hargu barra joqoghdu ftit f ghalqa u jergghu jidhlu.Hadd qatt ma qalli li dejquhom.Hawn min jitma l qtates ta barra kuljum u jitpaxxa bihom.U barra minn hekk,fuq l ebda menu go Chinese restaurant ma rajt imnizzel li tista tiekol qattus,jigifieri dawn qed jingannaw lill klijenti taghho
Gerry Cowie
Nov 24th 2012, 11:17
FEN-CATA!
Once again all the animal lovers coming out in force, though they keep mysteriously quiet when it comes to anything involving human beings.
People should not be so irresponsible as to let their cats breed and allow them to stray when they can no longer afford their upkeep.
In the UK recently people were caught selling rats for food in a London market!
Public health must come first!
Pippo de Marco
Nov 24th 2012, 13:05
Nice one, Gerry.
I was proud of my 'Pet Chop Boys Touring' (much to the dismay of those in need of a humour implant), but your 'FenCata' made me laugh out loud. Thank you.
And before anyone gets on my case; I am an animal loving, anti-hunting conservationist. But I also think that life is too short as to miss out on humour, however simple. - Laughter cures a great many things.
wendy Brincat
Nov 24th 2012, 13:51
Gerry what survey did you conduct that bore evidence animal lovers only speak up when animals are involved or being abused and not humans ? answers on a postal stamp pls
Paul Cave
Nov 24th 2012, 14:16
Gerry, that's a little disingenuous. They weren't the kind of rats you see in sewers etc. were they? They were also being sold and bought by a particular section of the community and nobody was in any doubt what they were buying.
Dan Vella
Nov 24th 2012, 11:12
They are known for these kind of things and do not keep up with health warnings, they have the ability to use some kind of herbs to mask down the taste ,no wonder I never ate chinese food.
Mr Nathan zammit
Nov 24th 2012, 11:10
reveal who they were supplying and close it down!!!!
Mrs M. Attard
Nov 24th 2012, 11:08
Cats have been used instead of rabbits also. Remember some years ago there was a rumour that cats were being served instead of rabbits at various rabbit specialty restaurants? There should be a proper investigation to find out the trail of where exactly the cats caught had ended up. Chinese were also rumoured to be catching ducks from the sludge infested Maghluq near Grabiel and serving them.
Stefan Enge
Nov 24th 2012, 10:49
Maybe we sponsor him a bigger van so we also get rid of the stray dogs
Martin Seychell
Nov 24th 2012, 10:48
OMG! No more chinese food until I get to know the name of the restaurant connected to this.
stephen koludrovic
Nov 24th 2012, 12:00
It could be possible that he is a freelance unlicensed wholesaler selling to restaurants. Only police investigactions could tell.
Marie Borg
Nov 24th 2012, 10:48
Name of restaurants should be published
maria borg
Nov 24th 2012, 10:47
If guilty, i just wish he can feel a bit tortured just like how he tortured those cats ,with a life sentence and hard work not with a stupid sentence like usual
hundreds of cats are victims of this maniac and he should pay for all of them
it`s heartbreaking more than enough hearing of all the torture they inflict on animals in their country ,and now they are doing it even in our country
Charlene Bonnici
Nov 24th 2012, 12:04
Life sentence?!?! seriously?? Not even the ones who are caught raping children get life sentence let alone!!!!!!
Jeremy Azzopardi
Nov 24th 2012, 12:21
How do you know that they were tortured? They might have been killed humanely, as far as we know.
maria borg
Nov 24th 2012, 20:07
mr bonnici
laws should punish with a life sentence even those who rape kids,murdureres and all those who ruins others lifes, just todays news are cats and he should pay a harsh penelty
mr azzopardi
if you go on the chinese meat trade or furfarms you will see how they kill cats.be assured that they didn not treat them any better than those of their country
Mr Jonathan Fava
Nov 24th 2012, 10:46
Well is he breaking the law? If not good on him! However I would expect to know what I'm eating. Whoever loves his pets will take care of them and keep them indoors. Doing so no one should have such problems. No one feels sorry for the poor bunny rabbit!
Carmel Serracino-inglott
Nov 24th 2012, 15:25
Cats are allowed by law to stray about. Never touch a cat on its rounds. IT IS JUST NOT YOURS leave the cats alone. Cats are not rabbits. Why do you mix the two ? Whosays that no one feels sorry? you? Here we are taking about stealing of cats. If you steal and are caught then pay for your crime.
Irena Shuke
Nov 25th 2012, 08:32
Why do we mix the two? Well, why discriminate - against animals or people? If some people can eat horses, bunnies and snails, why some others cannot eat cats and dogs if that is their so-called "culture"?
Irena Shuke
Nov 25th 2012, 08:38
I do believe what these people allegedly did was absolutely abhorring, but what about farming of cows, pigs, chickens, turkeys? The egg industry that come from those caged hens? However, I never heard anyone exclaiming in horror when they buy that lifeless chicken body to be grilled, who, like stray cats, did NOTHING wrong to anyone, except being born as "food" in some people's eyes. Cats = flesh, too?
Anthony Scicluna
Nov 24th 2012, 10:42
Oh My God! No wonder when I opened my fortune cookie last night, there was written "miaow" on the paper inside.
james connor
Nov 24th 2012, 11:44
in mine it said pussy galour
Tom Broadley
Nov 24th 2012, 10:40
M Vella you should paw's for thought before eating chinese food.
S. Azzopardi
Nov 24th 2012, 10:35
We need names and to know if any restaurants, chinese or otherwise, have been involved. The public should be warned.
Neil Dent
Nov 24th 2012, 10:33
Disgusting? Shameful? Yes. Should he be punished? Of course, to the fullest extent that the law allows.
But why the hysteria about Chinese restaurants? Stop generalizing, people. Or at least get more facts before you condemn!
Joseph Ellul
Nov 24th 2012, 10:26
The Maltese have been eating animals for centuries. During WW2 most cats and dogs vanished from circulation, presumed eaten by hungry locals. Ever since, at Mnarja feast, those in the know did not eat rabbits from certian cooks. I only eat rabbits that I have witnessed to be rabbits, and even then, I look at the entrails to check healthy organs.
Richard Ellul
Nov 24th 2012, 12:31
If you are whom I think you are; see you soon and we will have a good rabbit stew, not cats
Gillian Snook
Nov 24th 2012, 10:25
It may be normal in China, but these people know it is not tolerated in Malta.
Jennifer Styevens
Nov 24th 2012, 19:16
A great many things are normal in china horrid things but as you say this is Malta
Ramon Mangion
Nov 24th 2012, 10:24
I cannot believe certain comments. Who said that meat was being sold to chinese restaurants ? Use renowned chinese outlets and not shabby ones.
Robert Cassar
Nov 24th 2012, 10:23
Did anyone also noticed that srtay dogs almost vanished from our streets, could this be linked to the increased number of Filipinos in Malta since they are known to eat dogs ..?
Tony Morris
Nov 24th 2012, 10:14
I have never eaten a Chinese meal and never will and this is one of the reasons!!
Charles Zammit
Nov 24th 2012, 10:13
I wonder how many people have now eaten cats as faras I'm concerned it's RIP Chinese resaurants anywhere !!!
Jeremy Azzopardi
Nov 24th 2012, 12:23
If they have they've probably lived to tell the tale.
Ivan Attard
Nov 24th 2012, 10:09
If the authorities do not NAME and nail the culprit - they are accomplices to this.
Wilfrid Buttigieg
Nov 24th 2012, 16:13
Yes! I agree! We must know the name (s) of the culprits as well as the name of the restaurant in Marsascala...
M Formosa
Nov 24th 2012, 10:07
Here in Rome, Chinese restaurants are constantly inspected by the Italian health authorities, most closed down every year because of unsanitary conditions and of course acts of crime such as this incident in Malta.
kenneth formosa
Nov 24th 2012, 10:06
l-problema jekk sajruhom go resturant bqija ghamlu xoghol l-awtoritajiet ax kull fejn tmur mimli qtates jzazzuk ....mhux ser tmur xi pajjiz civilizzat u tara l-annimali qtates u klieb jigru barra bhal Malta .Misshom tawhom premju talli gabruhom mhux arrestawhom .
Heidi Buttigieg
Nov 24th 2012, 13:36
x jaghmlulek biex iqazzuk lilek.il qtates ma jaghmlu deni lil hadd anzi inaddfu il grieden mit toroq .il qtates u l klieb li jigru barra qedin hemm tort tan nies ghax jiddejqu minnhom u jitfghuhom il barra.
Marthese Mussett
Nov 24th 2012, 15:33
U l hmieg li jhallu n nies warajthom wara xi barbecue ma jqazzekx?Il qtates u l klieb iqazzuk?
R. Balzan
Nov 24th 2012, 10:04
It would be good to know for which Chinese restaurant these were meant as it's just not right to generalise. As for whoever was involved, please just send them on a slow boat to their country, the sooner the better.
Angelo Polidano
Nov 24th 2012, 09:59
We were going for a meal to a Chinese restuarant tonight but we cancelled our booking right away when we read this story. Hope this news is published in all the Sunday papers and the television. What a cheek going to a foreign country and treat the inhabitants like this. If guilty, confiscate all his belongings and deport him.
Ms C Bartolo
Nov 24th 2012, 09:54
If he is associated with a Chinese restaurant, the public needs to know which one. Keeping the guilty party anonymous is unfair on all the other Chinese restaurants.
Mr Nathan zammit
Nov 24th 2012, 11:07
that is true!! because i will be boycotting them in the near future...
James Dewar
Nov 24th 2012, 11:19
Ms Bartolo, I agree completely.
joe bonnici
Nov 24th 2012, 11:20
I fully agree with you that the authorities should name the restaurant if and only if they should find any of these cats in the premises as its not fair on other chinese restaurants.So far no evidence have been found,so please people stop whining and complaining about not eating chinese anymore.I know some good chinese restaurants, unfortunately one of them has closed down namely: Jakarta M'Scala.
Pippo de Marco
Nov 24th 2012, 09:52
I didn't know the Pet Chop Boys were still touring :-0
Ms Sylvia Zammit
Nov 24th 2012, 11:00
Very funny funny Ha Ha Pippo. I have not 'lost' of the stray cats I feed to this XXXXX but it's no laughing matter I assure you. I used to love Chinese food myself, until my favourite Asian food restaurant in St. Julians was shut down in similar circumstances many years ago! As a vegetarian for many years now, my choice in restaurants is limited, but I'm not exactly going to starve!
Franco Farrugia
Nov 24th 2012, 11:08
You think you're funny, don't you?
Heidi Buttigieg
Nov 24th 2012, 13:38
shame on you
mario grech
Nov 24th 2012, 09:51
What's all this fuss about? We eat rabbit where in Asian countries especially Thailand they keep them as pets same as we keep dogs & cats.
G Caruana
Nov 24th 2012, 10:54
Agreed, but the menu specifically states rabbit.
The least they could do is print sizzling sweet & sour stray cat on their menu.
Maria Muscat
Nov 24th 2012, 10:58
well we are not in Asia we are in Malta, and for us this is not the norm
Emmanuel Ebejer
Nov 24th 2012, 11:04
yes but when we eat rabbit, we know that we are eating rabbit. also, i belive that no animal should be killed for food. so there is a part of what you said which I agree with.
Ivan Mizzi
Nov 24th 2012, 11:23
We do not eat stray rabbits, we breed them for eating and in Asia they breed the cats for food, just like in France, horses and pigeons are bred only for the purpose of being eaten - they don't eat racing horses and stray pigeons.
Mary Tanti
Nov 24th 2012, 12:33
@ Ivan Mizzi -You are wrong, my father always hunted rabbits that were happily running free and wild. I am not sure if this still happens, but Maltese people still hunt and eat other free roaming animals such as fish and birds. Animal welfare is a more serious issue than this story.
Pauline Thompson
Nov 24th 2012, 12:35
Very true Mario - in the UK rabbits, cats, dogs, rats, mice snakes and so on are kept as pets, however, in other parts of the world these pets are part of the human diet. The fuss is it's happening in Malta & cats are not part of the Maltese diet. The whole thing is morally wrong.
fleur cilia buckett
Nov 24th 2012, 21:36
the fuss is about cats disappearing from colonies - such cats loved and taken care of!!
Pippo de Marco
Nov 24th 2012, 09:49
Some people keep rabbits as pets whereas others keep them as food. I like stroking rabbits and I also like stroking cats. I enjoy eating rabbits but I'm uneasy at the prospect of eating cats. - Why is that ?
stephen koludrovic
Nov 24th 2012, 10:53
However cats are never mentioned on any menu.
Maria Muscat
Nov 24th 2012, 10:59
did you ever realize that the human food chain consists of herbivores but very rarely omnivores or carnivores?
James Fenech
Nov 24th 2012, 11:16
For the same reason you'd probably stroke a cow but still eat beef.
You love animals but at the same time you were brought up in a culture where rabbits and cows are also food.
If you where brought up elsewhere, you'd eat worms and insects whilst in others you won't eat horse and rabbit.
At the end of the day, they are all proteins.
Peter Gatt
Nov 24th 2012, 09:37
The issue remains what will society do with all the stray cats in our streets? Eating them is not an option. However, stray cats carry desease and pose a serious hazard to drivers. Cat lovers should realise this before feeding stray cats in densely populated urban areas without giving a hoot to what other neighbours think. Cat urine strewn in our streets (dry summer) is not to everyone's fancy.
Annika Vaisanen
Nov 24th 2012, 11:15
It is the drivers that are a hazard to animals not so much other way round. Strays need to be fed, they can not just be left to starve. They are doing trap neuter release program now to regulate the population & there's animal ambulance for injured strays. I would say it is a bit better than 10 yrs ago. People litter and destroy this planet I think cat pee is smallest of our problems!
Jennifer Styevens
Nov 24th 2012, 11:41
nor is human urine and vomit whenpeople have had too much to drink and they should know better
Charles Grixti
Nov 26th 2012, 05:46
So cat urine is a hazard on the streets, but the hundreds of cars wihzzing by and the pollution that you breathe from them does everyone a world of good. Stray cats does not mean that they are diseased. They are just unlucky cats who did not find a human heart soft enough to take them in and love them. And a cat loves in return. Mine used to wait up for me at the door,when everyone else slept.
Victor Pulis
Nov 24th 2012, 09:36
So catnapping is now added to the list of crimes committed in Malta. If guilty, make an example of him and put him in the slammer for a long time.
Vincent Galea
Nov 24th 2012, 09:35
....and the waiter at the Chinese restaurant comes " is there anything else....."
My response : Yes, JAWS with your boss's head.
S Farrugia
Nov 24th 2012, 09:34
How could we trust Chinese restaurants anymore? I think I will be cutting down on it!
Louis Muscat
Nov 24th 2012, 09:34
I love Chinese food, as a matter of fact only last Sunday I frequented one, but regret it will be the last time I have visited a Chinese restaurant. I think that the owners of Chinese restaurants should find out, who the culprits are and name them, if they want to survive.
John Dee
Nov 24th 2012, 09:28
Another slap on the wrist and suspended sentence coming up!
fleur cilia buckett
Nov 24th 2012, 21:37
you got that right mr dee!
Joseph Camilleri
Nov 24th 2012, 09:26
This is a very serious news item and should be taken by the authorities with urgency. I cant accuse anyone of anything but It is dawning on us that these animals might have ended on our plate when we dine out! It is shamefull because it is not the first time that cats have been running around with diseases. And to think that these cats would have ended on our plates it fills me with horror!
Dave Alan Caruana
Nov 24th 2012, 09:25
No more chinese for me .. and I hope this guy, if guilty, gets prosecuted for many counts of cruelty to animals.
Michael Gatt
Nov 24th 2012, 09:20
For those who do not know the culture of the Chinese, well they will eat anything and I am pretty sure that the meat would have been used in a Restaurant in Malta and no one would know that it would be 'cat-meat'.
Like it or not, this is part of the Chinese culture...(they will eat absolutely anything). Obviously I find it disgusting...
James Dewar
Nov 24th 2012, 23:41
There are some cultural aspects that would be better left in China and this is certainly one of them.
Patricia Mifsud
Nov 24th 2012, 09:20
Oh no! I love eating at Chinese restaurants! What could they pass off cat meat as? Can anyone tell me?
John Grima
Nov 24th 2012, 11:24
It is rumoured that cats taste like chicken or very tender rabbit meat
Claudine Camilleri
Nov 24th 2012, 11:25
They would pass cat meat as chicken!!! OMG no more chinese restaurants for me!!!
Patricia Mifsud
Nov 24th 2012, 11:44
That's it! I'll be sticking to duck in future.
fleur cilia buckett
Nov 24th 2012, 21:38
who knows what cat tastes like?! remember the restaurant in st julians had about 300 odd cats in their freezers?! pfftt
M Vella
Nov 24th 2012, 09:14
No more Chinese food for me,its a pity because I love it.
Ms Maria Vella
Nov 24th 2012, 09:35
Dont take up stand up comedy or anything related to it as you would surely fail
mark borg
Nov 24th 2012, 09:44
for all we know they could have ended up in many other restaurants....or butcher shops
Duncan Tanti
Nov 24th 2012, 09:46
Not all chinese restaurants are cheap stuff.its a pity about the cats but its not fair on other chinese restaurants!
John Wilman
Nov 24th 2012, 10:42
No more Sweet n Sour Moggy then
Jennifer Cosaitis
Nov 24th 2012, 11:09
Ms Maria Vella - I fail to make any sense of any of your posts, especially on this page. What's so odd or funny with people being wary of eating Chinese food if they do not have any guarantee they won't be fed cat meat disguised as something else?
Kevin Sciberras
Nov 24th 2012, 09:14
This is serious for many reasons. To many people cats are like their children. Further to this, the couple, if guilty and if they run a restaurant should be all named and shamed. If necessary the couple deported. I love chinese food, but after this I am steering clear and I guess others will. Considering Xmas is coming with staff parties, family reunions etc, these restaurants are going to suffer
paul camilleri
Nov 24th 2012, 09:20
cats like their children? what a remark!! if they were then certainly they wouldnt be left on the streets!!!!!
Bernard Portelli
Nov 24th 2012, 10:00
Personally not interested in trying it out but I have no objection to people eating cats if they like as long as the animals are culled humanely. Why is it wrong to eat a cat and not a rabbit etc..? Isn't this a case of double standards? Healthy cats are being put down all the time by the SPCA so what's the big deal? The REAL issue here is that the cats were 'stolen'.
Alfred J. McEwen
Nov 24th 2012, 09:13
I hope that the sentence will be a 20 year jail term.
mark borg
Nov 24th 2012, 09:49
and fed on a diet of rats
J Muscat
Nov 24th 2012, 10:14
eee.. 3 life sentence without parole !!
Patrick Muscat
Nov 24th 2012, 10:21
20 years hehe are you crazy, and if they kill a person, i will bet that you even write a comment here, and for a cat 20 years????. haha. As I think the cats have no one to take care of them, so the cats go for garbage bags and make damages to cars, and poo in front people doors, I think if a cat will poo infornt of your door i dont think you will like him, otherwise ..
fleur cilia buckett
Nov 24th 2012, 21:39
thats never going to happen - justice is never served in Malta!
enrich Stafrace
Nov 24th 2012, 09:10
Make sure he will be deported from this island for good if guilty, with a heavy penalty and not a nonsense fine and gets away free as usual...
Alexander Montebello
Nov 24th 2012, 09:09
This is disgusting and cruel.... and has certainly put a dent in the credibility of Chinese restaurants. I hope the authorities will name the establishment so that that other Chinese restaurants are not tarnished by the same brush as these cruel people.
The law has a LONG arm... may it come down hard on this man.
J Tabone
Nov 24th 2012, 09:09
There is no crime against picking up stray cats! The "crime" is in feeding them to humans in Chinese restaurants - if one can call it a crime. Cats meat is indistinguishable from rabbit if presented without the head or tail or feet. Who knows how many were eaten at the Mnarja festivals over the years?
mark borg
Nov 24th 2012, 09:50
ezatt ma nafx kif qed jiffisaw li ghax dan li kien qed jaqbadhom kien ciniz bil fors spiccaw go restaurants cinizi...min jaf min kien qed jixtrijhom
Franco Farrugia
Nov 24th 2012, 09:57
And THAT is all that interests you in this whole sorry episode! Mah!
Franco Farrugia
Nov 24th 2012, 11:07
Mr Tabone. Your intelligence keeps me dumbfounded. The crime is IN THE WAY THE CATS WERE TREATED! Punto e basta.
Jeremy Azzopardi
Nov 24th 2012, 12:27
Franco, the article does not mention how the cats were treated.
carlos ellul
Nov 24th 2012, 09:08
Another classic example of sahha fid diversita
Robert Agius
Nov 24th 2012, 10:03
Hey! you might have been eating cats at Maltese restaurants for all you know....
G Mamo
Nov 24th 2012, 09:08
Thank God qatt ma kilt Chinese.. u ISSA aktar u aktar ma Nikolx ...... !!!!!!
Joe Fenech
Nov 24th 2012, 09:04
This is very common in China. It's a tradition. In Europe we're just not used to eating cats.
Why has this been in Malta? In Malta where inspections are lax and people can't tell good food as long as they fill up their waste, they got away for it . This seems to have gone on for many years, so why this fuss now?
Gillian Snook
Nov 24th 2012, 10:23
Strange comment - what planet have you come from. In Malta we love to cuddle cats not eat them.
Heidi Buttigieg
Nov 24th 2012, 13:41
we are in Malta not in China
R. Caruana
Nov 24th 2012, 13:50
In Northern Europe they cuddle rabbit, we love to eat them. So what was your point again Ms.Snook?
Anthony Paul Naudi
Nov 24th 2012, 09:04
Nisperaw f'Alla li dan ic-ciniz, jekk hati, u jekk hemm xi hadd iehor involut jiehdu li haqqhom. F'p[ajjizhom jekk tizbalja thallas qares u l-istess irid jhalsu dawn. Ara tghidlex biex immur niekol ikel ciniz ! mhux hekk nibqghu.
Nispera li mhux qed jesportawhom ghall-ikel jew jinbieghu bhala fniek fir- restaurants maltin.
A.P.Naudi.
V. Cauchi
Nov 24th 2012, 09:01
No need to blame Chinese eateries as sole culprits. Rumours of decreasing cat populations in certain areas have been making the rounds since the 1960s when tourism became the mainstay of the island.
Pauline Peterson
Nov 24th 2012, 11:43
You mean tourists have been taking them home with them :-)
Franco Farrugia
Nov 24th 2012, 08:58
I find it really disgusting, to say the least, that for many commenters, all that they care about is how this revolting episode affects them and their stomachs.
Do we put questions on the plight of these hundreds of cats and the way they were killed? NO.
Do we put questions on whether a wandering cat belonging to our neighbour may have been caught in the same way? No.
Peter Murray
Nov 24th 2012, 09:27
Dear fFanco ,
But we (maybe not you or I ) eat horses here dont we?No one is saying anyhting about how these noble creatures meet their end and end up on dinner plates (throughout Europe in fact)many of which are young racehorses who are past their usefulness and not generating an income any longer or are a burden on their owner.
Marthese Mussett
Nov 24th 2012, 10:20
You re right Franco.I care about these cats too,I have two beautiful cats myself,both of them were strays.This man should get a harsh punishment.Did he think that people are not going to notice that cats are going missing from their neighbourhood?
Jeremy Grixti
Nov 24th 2012, 10:53
I couldn't agree with you more Franco, I have a cat of my own and I treat her the same way as I would treat a child, I also feed some of the stray cats near my house and I cannot imagine how someone has the guts to hurt animals, let alone kill them in the most inhumane way.
Franco Farrugia
Nov 24th 2012, 11:06
@ Peter Murray: We are in Malta, Europe - and THAT is our culture. Anyway, these people were/are unlicenced! Without authorisation. And I don't eat horsemeat so your argument does not hold.
Annika Vaisanen
Nov 24th 2012, 11:19
People care only about themselves. As usual. Never mind the cats and the horrific deaths their lives ended in.
salvatore morgan
Nov 24th 2012, 08:55
This is not a joke to all of you who comment about chinese restaurants. We are animal lovers and this is a very serious problem. No pet/or stray deserves to be trapped and God knows what done to them. The suffering is bad enough what they go through on the streets. With starvation and the elements. i would like to give those people my own punishment much worse than jail time!
Mary Tanti
Nov 24th 2012, 12:47
If we were animal lovers how come we have so many stray & abandoned cats & dogs? How come Malta was the last EU state to want to get rid of chicken cages which were deemed too cruel to rear animals in? How come we have such a large hunting fraternity who not only shoot the most amazing wild migratory animals but more perversely enjoys trapping & caging them! Glasshouses & stones comes to mind.
A A Camilleri
Nov 24th 2012, 08:55
ths happened in a little village where we lived in the uk, the chinese take away was shut down, if this guy got a chinese restaurant i hope it will be closed down too.
salvatore morgan
Nov 24th 2012, 08:52
Well done for the police who investigated . My wife and I have been fostering cats and re homing them for 10 years. We spend all our money and free time to help animals.
Last year I was reported as being the "asian" who was picking up cats and eating them.
We hope these people, if guilty, are punished to the highest level. We hope more people will be watching out for strays and report any crimes.
Ms Maria Vella
Nov 24th 2012, 08:50
Jahasra let us hope that, if he is guilty, he is not just given a slap on the wrist
Ms Jessica Spiteri
Nov 24th 2012, 08:47
Let's just hope he doesn't get let off with just a slap on the wrist!!
Geoffrey Farrugia
Nov 24th 2012, 08:45
No more chinese restaurants for a long while it seems!
Ms Maria Vella
Nov 24th 2012, 09:37
Funny.. Not!
James Dewar
Nov 24th 2012, 11:26
@ Maria Vella: I don't think it was meant to be funny and I certainly won't be too keen to dine in a Maltese Chinese restaurant in the future. Shame for the genuine law abiding ones though.
Carmel Serracino-inglott
Nov 24th 2012, 14:32
Yes that is so. If the 'good' ones say I am innocent then they should unit and expose the guilty ones. Otherwise I fully agree with GF .
Peter Murray
Nov 24th 2012, 08:43
As I said at the time never mind steer clear of Fenkata:s for now but to steer clear of Chinese " delicacies"as they are well reknowed for eating such lovely creatures.Is this the Chinese year of the CAT?
A. Mizzi
Nov 24th 2012, 10:26
Just call ChineseFenkata's- Pusskata!
Why is it OK to skin and include cuddly bunnies in Maltese Fenkata's and not pussycats in Chinese Fenkata's?
Trade desciption?
Ms Sylvia Zammit
Nov 24th 2012, 11:02
I think it was Prince Philip who got himself in hot water for stating that 'The Chinese will anything that has 4 legs and is not a table.' He was right too.
Alfred J. McEwen
Nov 24th 2012, 11:22
@ Peter Murray
It`s always the year of the cat for the Chinese apparently.
Jennifer Styevens
Nov 24th 2012, 11:39
They can eat what they like in China , I dont live there
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