Swiss Activists Look To Ban Cat And Dog Meat

Many people in the world eat meat, and not everybody agrees on which animals are meat animals and which animals are pet animals, but a group of animal rights activists in Switzerland is trying to get the government on its side with a petition to ban the eating of dogs and cats.

While Switzerland is not necessarily famous for its dog and cat dishes, according to The Local, cats and dogs do wind up on the menu sometimes. In some areas of Switzerland, cat is a traditional Christmas dish, where it is prepared with wine and garlic the way one might prepare a roast rabbit. Dog meat in Switzerland is usually used for sausages.

"Around three percent of the Swiss secretly eat cat or dog," said Tomi Tomek, founder and president of animal protection group SOS Chats Noiraigue. "We especially see it in the regions of Lucerne, Appenzell, Jura and in the canton of Bern."

Tomek says it is impossible to know just how many people in Switzerland are eating dogs and cats, and she is frustrated by the fact that there's no way to punish people for doing it, because it's legal in Switzerland.

"Presently, we can't do anything because the law does not forbid people from eating their dog or cat, we can't even turn in those who engage in this practice," she said.

Tomek's group previously successfully campaigned the Swiss government to ban the sale of clothes made of cat fur last year. This year, they have acquired 16,000 signatures of people asking the government to pass a law against the eating of dogs and cats in Switzerland.