A suspected cat-theft and trafficking network in Ho Chi Minh City has been dismantled by police, with 12 people arrested over allegations that around 2,700 cats were stolen from residential neighbourhoods and sold into the meat trade.
The case has raised concern among pet owners, particularly because investigators believe many of the animals were taken directly from streets and neighbourhoods during overnight operations.
How the alleged network operated
According to police, the suspects worked in small groups and travelled through residential areas on motorcycles between roughly 11pm and 4am.
They allegedly used traps to capture cats that were outside homes or roaming through neighbourhoods. Each group reportedly caught between four and 10 cats a night before handing the animals over to buyers.
The investigation began after authorities received reports of cats disappearing from areas around Ho Chi Minh City.
Police eventually identified a network allegedly led by 39-year-old Luu Thanh Binh, who is accused of buying live cats, keeping them temporarily and then reselling them.
Investigators said the suspects admitted to stealing and trading approximately 2,700 cats. Authorities have not yet determined how long the operation had been active.
For families whose pets disappeared, the investigation has raised the possibility that some animals they believed had simply wandered away may have been caught and sold.
Police have so far identified the owners of 13 rescued cats and returned the animals to their families. Other rescued cats were transferred to a social center while authorities continued efforts to trace their owners.
A complicated relationship with the cat-meat trade
The case also highlights the complicated legal and cultural landscape surrounding the consumption of dog and cat meat in Vietnam.
While the consumption and sale of such meat remains legal in the country under certain circumstances, sellers are required to have documentation establishing the origin of the animals.
That does not make the theft of privately owned animals legal. Dogs and cats are treated as property under Vietnamese law, meaning the unauthorized taking of someone’s pet can constitute theft.
Another major cat rescue earlier this year
The latest case follows another large-scale operation in Ho Chi Minh City earlier this year.
In June, authorities rescued more than 400 cats in an investigation into a suspected cat-meat trafficking network. More than 500 animals were reportedly seized across multiple locations.
Some of the cats were identified as stolen pets, and more than 40 were eventually reunited with their families.
Animal welfare groups said several animals died after being kept in poor conditions. Authorities also found cages containing live cats alongside containers holding dead animals.
Some of the rescued cats were reportedly pregnant, with kittens subsequently born while their mothers were being cared for.
A troubling question for pet owners
The two investigations have highlighted how quickly a missing pet can potentially become part of a larger trafficking network.
For the families who have recovered their animals, the police operations have provided a rare happy ending. But many owners whose cats disappeared may never know what happened to them.
The latest arrests have therefore brought attention not only to an alleged criminal network, but also to the vulnerability of household pets in areas where they can be taken from the streets and moved into an illegal or loosely regulated supply chain.
