Trucks Intercepted In China Holding Cages Filled With HUNDREDS OF CATS En Route To RESTAURANTS

(iWIDK By Nina Hoffman) – A total cat-astrophy was diverted as 500 felines were saved from ending up on the dinner table. 

A truck headed for restaurants was intercepted in China with a cargo of 500 cats, all crammed in cages or burlap sacks.

The animals were saved when police stopped the vehicle during a routine traffic inspection in the Xuzhou, Jiangsu Province.

The Mirror reported that Officer Sun Hai instructed the driver to uncover his load, and were “shocked to find a full load of living cats.”

They quickly cut into the bags to save the cats from suffocation.

A local rescue group was called and removed the animals to a nearby shelter.

Chinese people have eaten cat and dog for centuries, although in the last 10 years a move has been made to phase it out of the diet, most notably with the removal of dog meat from restaurant menus during the 2008 Olympic Games.