Do Haitians eat cats? (the shocking truth)

I'm about to spill the beans and let you in on a little secret.

"Do Haitians eat cats" is one of the most frequently asked questions of Haitians in elementary school, middle school, high school, college, and professional settings.

Many Haitians feel uncomfortable answering this question. I, on the other hand, don't have this problem.

Get ready. This one will shock you.

Do Haitians eat cats?


Don't be scared, kitty, we will not eat you.

Yes, they eat cats. 

However, eating cat meat is not a daily or nationwide practice. Haitians mostly eat cats on December 24th in a national festivity called "Reveyon", a big Christmas party.

This is exclusively known to a select group of Haitians found mostly in the countryside and remote villages.

Now I know you have many questions that need answers. I will answer some of them right here for you.

Let's go.

Why do Haitians eat cats?

Contrary to popular belief, Haitians don't eat cats because they are poor and hungry. They eat cats because it's a tradition.

READ ALSO: Haitians got caught eating cats in Ohio.

Eating cats is not a new habit but an old tradition that started long ago in slavery.

For instance, runaway slaves hunted, killed, and ate wild cats deep in Haiti's forest and treacherous mountains many years before Haiti became a nation. So the practice of eating cats is just as old as Haiti herself.

Do Haitians eat other types of animals?

Yes. Haitians eat cows, goats, sheep, chickens, pork, etc., but cat meat is a delicacy that many from the countryside simply can't resist.

Look...

...having a Reveyon without a cat is like celebrating Thanksgiving without a turkey. Unless you are a vegetarian, some just have to have it.

Why? Well, again, it's an old tradition.

Do Haitians eat Dogs?

NO. Haitians do not eat dogs. I can guarantee you this is among many types of meats Haitians will not touch.

This one is for the Asians.

Do Haitians eat ducks and geese?

Yes. Haitians eat ducks, geese meat, and eggs just like in the US and Canada.

Do Haitians eat pets?

If an animal is raised as a pet, Haitians will not eat it because, at this point, the animal is seen as part of the family.

Why is it legal to eat cats in Haiti?

Some Haitians eat cat's meat freely for three reasons:
  1. There are no laws designed to prevent people from eating cats.
  2. Most Haitians do not have a human-like relationship with their pets.
  3. Some see cats just like pork, beef, and chicken. So there is no discrimination.
There is no preferential treatment. Meat is meat--whether it is from cats or any other large animals.

What does cat meat taste like?


Meow! You ain't eating me. 

Cat meat actually tastes like chicken. A scientific explanation for this similarity is that because many animals evolve from a common ancestor, they often taste the same even when they smell differently.

When I tried it a few years ago that was exactly my impression. But to discover if this is true, you must try it to draw your own conclusion.

Why are there no cats in Haiti?

It is a lie to claim there are no cats in Haiti.

How is it possible Haitians keep eating cats when there are no cats?

Think about it!

Here is the truth:

Haitian's relationship with their pets is different from what you would typically see in North American or European homes.

While pet owners in those countries may feel comfortable letting their pets in their beds, in Haiti, the dynamic of the relationship is completely different.

For example, they use dogs to guard their home and cats to catch the mouse in their kitchen and gardens. However, this is where the interaction stops for most Haitians.

All that kissy-feely stuff you see people do with their pets in those North American and European countries is mostly unacceptable in Haiti.

If you see more dogs than cats in Haiti, know that it is not because they eat all the cats. It is just that dogs are cherished more because of their guardianship ability.

Haitian families don't often take a pet into their homes just because they want to.

No. They will get a cat or a dog based on the family's needs.

Do Haitians eat cats in other countries? 

No. Most Haitians are law-abiding people. They would probably not steal, kill, and cook a cat outside of Haiti.

So, please, if your cat goes missing do not rush to accuse your Haitian neighbor because pets go missing all the time.

In addition, should you now be scared of Haitian food because of this?

NO!

Haitians would probably never serve you cat meat without telling you about it. It is such an eventful thing, you would know about it anyway.

Remember, this is mostly a once-a-year activity, and not all Haitians eat cat meat. Next time someone offers you a plate of Haitian food or invites you to a Reveyon, go ahead and enjoy.

Remember, eating cats is exclusive to a select group of Haitians mostly from the countryside, and Haitians probably don't kill and eat cats in other countries.

Conclusion 

Do Haitians eat cats?

Yes. It is an old tradition exclusively known to a select group of Haitians from mostly the countryside.

Should you try it?

Maybe. I don't think it's for everyone because you may find it repugnant.

But you'll never know if you don't try. You may end up liking it very much.

What do you think? Would you eat cat meat?

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29 Comments

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  1. Disgusting, I have a Haitian family at end of my street they probably ate my outside cat cuz I haven't been able to find them.

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    1. If you did not have this information this idea would not have come in your mind. Trust me, the Haitian family in your neighborhood has nothing to do with your cat missing.

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    2. So, you don’t think it’s possible that your cat might have wandered off and been hit by a car?

      Maybe carried away by a fox, coyote, other predator?

      Possibly just ran away and found another home? Or is living ferally?

      Delete
  2. Mastr p. I'm not sure what dirt bucket country you are from but obviously you are not from Haiti. It would make more since to humiliate your own countrymen instead of a smart, resilient, and hard working group like the Haitians. Focuse on your banana, yam farms. Stop spreading false accusations about Haitians eating cat. Now, if your referring to the cat between your mother's legs than yes we Haitian s already ran a train on that cat.

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    Replies
    1. Sorry, your feelings hurt. But I am just reporting the facts. It's okay to feel the way you feel. I used to feel the same way, then I grew up.

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  3. I stop eating at all these restaurants!! Cause I don't know if I may get a little bit of dog or cat meat in my food and no one from my country would ever eat those things.

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  4. I was told by a friend of mine who happens to be Hatian that some Hatians will kidnap your cat , kill and eat it if they have a personal problem with you or your family. Of course not all Hatians will do this .She said they are isolated incidents but they do happen.

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    Replies
    1. I cannot confirm this claim. But, we all know that hungry people will do unbelievable things

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  5. Lol😂😂😂 some people

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  6. It was two cats that I feed outside daily, the younger went missing for 3 days , then the neighbor next door said she found the cat dead , I don't believe her , the bigger cat hasn't left our yard and has stop roaming, she is an old Haitian lady. I made jokes prior , but was thought.......

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    Replies
    1. Lol, really! What are you trying to say?

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  7. No wonder, their country is perpetually fraught with major problems.

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    Replies
    1. What does eating cats have to do with anything?

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  8. Fucking idiot eating cats aint fucking traditional fucking dumbass monkey im haitian quit cappin on a gook ahh website

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  9. Be honest does it smell or remind u of rat.....bc thats what I be smelling when I eat Chinese food sometimes......they just messed me all the way up how they sneak and feed us cats 😂 🤣

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    1. Nah, it is not like that. Cat meat is basically tastes like chicken. Good stuff.

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  10. To be fair, I'm not sure you can say definitively that NO Haitian would ever eat someone's cat once you have admitted that some Haitians do eat cats, especially when you admit that there is no emotional connection between Hatians and cats.

    Saying that yes Haitians eat cats but no, no Haitian would eat a neighbor's cat carries as much weight as saying no Haitian would murder their neighbor or rape a woman. While that statement is true for the vast majority of Haitians, you can't accurately claim that it would never happen, especially when you already admit that the act in question, eating cats, is Haitian tradition.

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    Replies
    1. I concur. There is no perfect Haitians. You are absolutely right.

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  11. If it tastes like chicken wouldn't most people be more inclined to actually eat chicken instead of a cat?

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    Replies
    1. Yes. And this is why only a few Haitians eat cats.

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  12. Humane Society International / Global estimated five million dogs and one million cats are caught, stolen, trafficked and slaughtered every year in Viet Nam to supply meat for human consumption.

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    1. How do they come up with those insane numbers?

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  13. As of 2024, the population of these countries is:
    Thailand: 71,668,011
    Vietnam: 100,987,686
    Cambodia: 17,638,801
    Laos: 7,769,819
    China: 1,418,648,971
    Your correct.. Seems like that's a very small number.
    Humane Society International

    How many dogs are involved?
    An estimated 30 million dogs are killed for human consumption each year across Asia in a brutal trade that involves terrible cruelty to animals and often, criminal activity. From 10-20 million dogs are slaughtered in China, up to 1 million in South Korea, 1 million in Indonesia, and around 5 million in Viet Nam; 80,000 or so of this last group are imported from Thailand, Laos and Cambodia.

    Accurate figures are impossible to obtain, as the dog meat trade is entirely unregulated and often, illegal.

    What countries are involved?
    The dog meat trade is most widespread in China, South Korea, the Philippines, Thailand, Laos, Viet Nam, Cambodia, Indonesia and Nagaland in northern India. This trade is well-organized, with high numbers of dogs being stolen or taken from the streets, transported over long distances and brutally slaughtered. In South Korea, dogs are also intensively farmed for the meat trade in appallingly deprived conditions.

    Dogs are also known to be eaten in certain African countries such as Ghana, Cameroon, DRC and Nigeria, and there are reports that dogs are killed for personal consumption by some farmers in remote parts of Switzerland, but nothing compares to the sheer scale of the trade across Asia.

    Is it true that some dogs are stolen pet÷s?
    In most Asian countries, the majority of dogs killed are either family pets stolen from homes and gardens, roaming “community” dogs or strays snatched from the streets. Dog and cat thieves use a variety of methods, including poison, and sell the animals to traders and restaurant owners. It is quite common to find dogs on trucks headed to slaughterhouses still wearing their collars. The exception to this is South Korea, where most of the dogs are born and reared on farms in an endless cycle of breeding; but some are stolen or relinquished pets, or animals raised for the pet trade but not sold as a puppies.

    Do the dogs suffer?
    Severe animal suffering is endemic to the dog meat trade. The animals are crammed by the hundreds onto the backs of trucks, packed so tightly in cages that they are unable to move. In Viet Nam

    Dogs on South Korean meat farms are kept locked in small, barren metal cages, left exposed to the elements and given just enough food, water or shelter to keep them alive.

    What are the human health risks?
    A significant threat to human health, the dog meat trade has been linked to outbreaks of trichinellosis, cholera and rabies. The World Health Organisation estimates that eating dog meat increases the risk of contracting cholera; a number of recent large-scale outbreaks in Viet Nam were directly linked to it. Rabies—which kills around tens of thousands of people across Asia annually—has been found in dogs traded for human consumption in China, Viet Nam and Indonesia.

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    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm getting PETA vibes from you. Are you an animal activist?

      Delete
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