"Do Haitians eat cats?"
It is a question many Haitians are asked at school, at work, or in casual conversation. It can be an uncomfortable topic, but the best way to handle cultural misunderstandings is with honest, straightforward facts.
So, let's address the question directly:
Yes, some Haitians do eat cat meat.
However, it is not a daily, nationwide, or common practice. It is a highly specific tradition exclusive to a very small group of people, mostly in remote rural areas.
Here is the real truth behind this rare tradition, where it comes from, and what you actually need to know.
The Origin: Survival and "Reveyon"
Contrary to popular belief, this practice is not about poverty or starvation. It is an old, niche tradition rooted in Haiti's history.
During the colonial era, runaway slaves (Maroons) had to survive deep in the treacherous mountains and forests of Haiti. They hunted wild animals, including wild cats, to survive. Over time, for a select few, this survival tactic evolved into a rural tradition.
Today, when it does happen, it is almost exclusively tied to December 24th during a Christmas Eve celebration known as Reveyon. For this specific group of people, having this dish at Reveyon is a deeply ingrained cultural habit.
Utility vs. Pets: A Different Relationship
To understand this, you have to understand that the dynamic between humans and animals in Haiti is very different from North America or Europe.
In the US, cats and dogs are pampered family members who sleep in beds. In Haiti, animals have jobs.
- Dogs are cherished for their ability to guard the home and property.
- Cats are kept primarily to catch mice in kitchens and gardens.
Because animals are viewed through a lens of utility rather than sentimentality, a small percentage of the rural population does not differentiate cat meat from chicken, goat, or beef.
Debunking the Biggest Myths
Because this topic is highly sensationalized, several false rumors need to be cleared up:
- Do Haitians eat dogs? Absolutely not. Dog meat is strictly taboo in Haitian culture. It is among the many types of meat Haitians will never touch.
- Do Haitians eat other animals? Yes, the standard Haitian diet consists of the same meats you find anywhere else: beef, chicken, goat, pork, and seafood. We also eat ducks and geese.
- Do Haitians steal pets in other countries? No. Haitians are deeply law-abiding and respectful of the cultures they immigrate to. The diaspora does not hunt, kill, or cook cats in the United States, Canada, or elsewhere. If a neighborhood pet goes missing, it has absolutely nothing to do with your Haitian neighbors.
The Bottom Line
Should you be worried about finding cat meat in your Haitian food? Never.
If you are invited to a Haitian restaurant or a friend's house for dinner, you will be served standard, delicious Caribbean food like griot (pork), poulet (chicken), or pwason (fish). Cat meat is an incredibly rare, intentional dish that would never be served to a guest by surprise.
While the tradition may seem shocking to outsiders, it is simply a rare echo of history practiced by a tiny fraction of the population.
What do you think?
Leave a comment below and remember to share with your friends and family.
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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.
ReplyDeleteIf 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.
DeleteSo, you don’t think it’s possible that your cat might have wandered off and been hit by a car?
DeleteMaybe carried away by a fox, coyote, other predator?
Possibly just ran away and found another home? Or is living ferally?
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.
ReplyDeleteSorry, 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.
DeleteI 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.
ReplyDeleteLOL, you're joking, right?
DeleteI 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.
ReplyDeleteI cannot confirm this claim. But, we all know that hungry people will do unbelievable things
DeleteLol😂😂😂 some people
ReplyDeleteYou would not try it?
DeleteIt 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.......
ReplyDeleteLol, really! What are you trying to say?
DeleteNo wonder, their country is perpetually fraught with major problems.
ReplyDeleteWhat does eating cats have to do with anything?
DeleteFucking idiot eating cats aint fucking traditional fucking dumbass monkey im haitian quit cappin on a gook ahh website
ReplyDeleteCome on dawg... you know it is true.
DeleteBe 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 😂 🤣
ReplyDeleteNah, it is not like that. Cat meat is basically tastes like chicken. Good stuff.
DeleteDo they eat dogs ?
ReplyDeleteNo. Haitians do not eat dogs.
DeleteTo 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.
ReplyDeleteSaying 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.
I concur. There is no perfect Haitians. You are absolutely right.
DeleteIf it tastes like chicken wouldn't most people be more inclined to actually eat chicken instead of a cat?
ReplyDeleteYes. And this is why only a few Haitians eat cats.
DeleteHumane 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.
ReplyDeleteHow do they come up with those insane numbers?
DeleteAs of 2024, the population of these countries is:
ReplyDeleteThailand: 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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I'm getting PETA vibes from you. Are you an animal activist?
DeleteWhen you google "Which population eats cats or dogs?", the most common answer will be Asian countries. However, why do the Americans not accuse people living in America but are from Asia, of eating cats and dogs in America? Is it because people from Asia are not black or from a poor country? Very few people eat cats in Haiti. It is a rare event. It is much more common in Asia, for instance. Let's not assume that all people from Asia will eat cats or dogs in America because some of them do so in Asia. It would be a big nonsense and highlight pure ignorance. What does "growing up" have to do with this propaganda about "Haitians eat cats in Ohio"? The black woman who ate the cat in Ohio was an American citizen.
ReplyDeleteI know they eat biscuits made only of clay and salt and sun dried which give them a feeling of a full stomach.
ReplyDelete