Chinese men stole pet cats to make ‘dragon and tiger soup’

Two brothers have been held by police in southwest China accused of stealing eight pet cats to sell to a restaurant, according to a news website report.

The men detained in Lushan county in Sichuan province were intending to sell the animals so they could be cooked in a traditional dish – “dragon and tiger soup” – also made with snake, Thecover.cn reported.

The men trapped and caught the cats with an iron cage and a bird used as bait.

The specially designed cage gave the bird an electric shock when the men pressed a button on a remote control. The bird’s call of alarm would then draw the cats into the cage, according to the article.

Police noticed the younger brother on a motorcycle, with cats crying out loudly inside a nylon bag.

The man, whose full name was not given, admitted stealing the animals and said they intended to sell them to a restaurant that makes “dragon and tiger soup”.