Cats Are Companions, Not Food — Stop the Slaughter in Indonesia

Every year, over a million cats are killed for human consumption across Southeast Asia, with Indonesia among the worst offenders. In Indonesia, cats are still sold in live animal markets and brutally slaughtered for meat, despite growing public opposition and international concern.

The cats caught up in this brutal trade endure unthinkable suffering, including being crammed into small cages, denied food and water, and violently beaten or bludgeoned before slaughter with some animals being boiled or burned alive. Tragically, many of the cats killed for meat are not strays but rather companion animals that have been stolen from homes and streets and sold into horrific slaughter for profit.

These innocent animals, who have lived alongside humans for nearly 10,000 years as companions, protectors, and family members, should be cherished—not tortured and killed for human consumption.

Thankfully, awareness is growing in Indonesia. Changing attitudes and mounting international pressure led to reforms at the infamous Tomohon Extreme Market in North Sulawesi, once known as a gruesome tourist attraction where cats and dogs were violently publicly butchered. In recent years, dog and cat meat sales at Tomohon have ceased following global condemnation and public outcry.

Public pressure has also led more than 70 cities, regencies, and provinces—including the Special Capital Region of Jakarta—to introduce measures prohibiting the cat and dog meat trades. But without a nationwide ban, enforcement remains inconsistent, and cats continue to be slaughtered in many parts of the country.

In November of 2024, Indonesia’s House of Representatives rejected a proposed bill to ban the dog and cat meat trades. Lawmakers opposing the bill argued that certain ethnic groups still eat cat and dog meat and therefore improving animal welfare standards for cats and dogs used for meat would be enough. The decision was met with national and international protest.

87% of Indonesia’s population is Muslim, and consuming both cat and dog meat is considered haram (forbidden) under Islamic dietary law. Therefore, this barbaric trade is driven by a very small segment of the population, yet it causes enormous suffering to countless animals.

While global attention has largely focused on ending the dog meat trade, the killing of cats is too often ignored. It’s time to change that.

Take Action Now

Species Unite is calling on Indonesia’s Ministry of Agriculture to officially recognize cats as companion animals—not food—and to ban the slaughter, sale, and consumption of cat meat nationwide. It’s time to protect cats from this cruel, outdated trade once and for all.