It's not just China where people look forward to tucking into dog or cat meat. Hundreds of thousands of people in Switzerland eat cat and dog meat, according to the animal protection group SOS Chats Noiraigue. Around 3% of the Swiss population eat cat or dog.
Cat meat is even served at Christmas in some areas of Switzerland, dished up with white wine and garlic much like rabbit. Meanwhile, dog meat is more commonly used to make sausages.
Pet meat in Switzerland
If the thought of dining on feline or canine meat turns your stomach, around 250,000 Swiss admit to wanting to try it. In fact, some Swiss people may even be tempted to serve up their own pet for dinner as that's the only way they are legally able to consume cat or dog meat.
In principle, the law in Switzerland doesn't permit eating cat or dog meat. That is unless you own the pet you are about to dine on. Yes, as shocking as it sounds, it is actually lawful for people in Switzerland to kill and eat their own pets.
Animal rights groups urge the Swiss government to close the loophole that allows private pet meat consumption and hope other countries will quickly follow. Fortunately, eating dog and cat meat is already banned in Austria, Germany, the US, and the UK under a new Brexit bill.
Roasted Fido or casserole Felix? No thanks!
To highlight the issue of cat and dog meat in Switzerland, an advertising agency put together a short film based around a Swiss restaurant. The owner of the restaurants wants to offer diners traditional Swiss cuisines such as dog and cat meat. But to get around the rules, he cunningly gets the diners to adopt the animal so they can legally eat it.
But don't worry, as horrifying as that all sounds, the short film is fake. It was made on behalf of the Vegetarian Association in Germany to get people thinking about meat consumption. You can check out the clip below:
