Over 1,000 cats were rescued in China by a group of online of pet lovers. The cats were believed to be intended for fur and meat trade in the north-eastern Chinese province, Liaoning. According to the authorities, they have apprehended a six-strong ring of cat traffickers who had taken a large number of wild and domesticated cats since early December.

A few days ago in China, over 1,000 cats were rescued from the clutches of a group of animal traffickers who planned to sell the stolen pets to the highest bidder for their meat and fur. Sky News reported the alleged cat kidnappers, who arrived in Dalian City at the beginning of the month, were thought to have been searching the city for cats every night before being detected by a group of pet lovers.

The kidnapped animals were to be sold for their fur and meat as eating cats is not illegal and is culturally accepted in some regions in China. Some parts of the country also considered cat meat a delicacy, The Daily Mail reported.

The men, who ran the unlawful operation in the city of Dalian, were roaming the city for more cats to steal, The Independent UK reported. After noticing an increased in cat kidnappings in the area, online pet lovers, who expresses their pet raising experiences, voiced their concerns about the discovery of the illegal activity.   

The suspicions of the pet lovers were heightened and the Chinese police forces were contacted. The New York Daily News reported that with the help of the dedicated pet owners, the authorities were able to locate a cat den in a village in China and rescued more than 1,000 cats held in captivity while six suspects were arrested during the operation.

At this point, it is still unknown whether all of the 1,000 rescued cats have been reunited with their owners as police forces in China said it will be quite difficult to track down their homes. However, according to Inquisitr, at least 300 of the cats have been returned to their proper owners.

Each year, an estimated four million cats are eaten in China, Xinhua reported. And since China is such a huge republic, it is a tough challenge to concretely know in what region cat eating is increasing. Though cat dishes are rarely seen on the menus nowadays, some older people still eats cat meat, which experts said "old habits die hard."

Aside from the controversies on the 1,000 rescued cats, China also faces protests about the Yulin's annual dog meat festival, a tradition that dates back generations that kills an estimated 10,000 dogs during the festival.