Cats rescued in a cross-country chase by carers local to our very own Jiangsu Province who managed to have intercepted a truck carrying over 1,000 cats, both domestic and stray, have shed light on the illegal cat-meat trade proliferating in southern China.
江苏省当地的护理人员在越野追逐中成功拦截了一辆载有 1000 多只家猫和流浪猫的卡车，并成功解救了几只猫，这揭示了中国南方非法猫肉贸易的猖獗。
Gu Min is director of the Mengtaqi Cat and Dog Manor in Shaxi Town of Taicang in Suzhou. On 4 November, Gu drove the cats back to his Manor after they were rescued by police following a pursuit by Gu for over 1,000 kilometres, from Jiangsu to Wuyuan in Jiangxi Province.
顾敏是苏州太仓沙溪镇蒙塔奇猫狗庄园的园长。 11月4日，顾先生从江苏至江西婺源，追击1000多公里，被警方救出后，顾先生将这些猫赶回了自己的庄园。
The following day, more than 40 volunteers came to the Manor upon hearing the news to assist with processing the cats. One told a reporter for The Paper that in October, she had discovered that many cats had been stolen from in and around her residential community. That same volunteer also immediately ordered 200 kilograms of cat food online for the Manor.
第二天，40多名志愿者闻讯来到庄园，协助处理猫咪。一位女士告诉澎湃新闻记者，去年10月，她发现小区内及周边多只猫被盗。这位志愿者还立即在网上为庄园订购了200公斤猫粮。
Then, on 6 November, a very tired-sounding Gu spoke with media by telephone to explain that the cats were currently being isolated and managed in separate cages, and that owners for them would be found in the future.
随后，11月6日，顾先生一脸疲惫地接受媒体电话，解释说目前这些猫都被隔离在不同的笼子里管理，将来会找到它们的主人。
Gu also talked about the operation to intercept the truck, describing it as a cat and mouse game. “We found out very early that a truck with an Anhui license plate was loading cats near Suzhou. We waited for him to load at four separate points until there were more than 80 cages and over 1,000 cats in the truck”, said Gu.
顾还谈到了拦截卡车的行动，称其为猫捉老鼠的游戏。 “我们很早就发现一辆安徽牌照的卡车在苏州附近装猫，我们在四个不同的地点等他装货，直到车上有80多个笼子和1000多只猫。”顾说。
“But we didn’t expect that he would go directly from Nanjing to Anhui to Jiangxi and then [attempt to go on] to Guangdong, so we drove and chased him.”
“但我们没想到他会直接从南京到安徽到江西，然后[试图继续]到广东，所以我们开车追他。”
While Gu drove, he was assisted by several volunteer friends who also made live broadcasts, calling on people along the way for help.
顾先生一边开车，一边得到几位志愿者朋友的协助，他们还进行直播，向沿途民众发出求助。
Finally, at the suggestion of a volunteer, Gu was able to have the truck stopped under protection of the law by reporting the illegal behaviour of “driving a motor vehicle continuously for more than 4 hours without stopping or taking a rest for not less than 20 minutes”.
最终，在志愿者的建议下，顾某通过举报“连续驾驶机动车4小时以上不停车、休息20分钟以上”的违法行为，才得以在法律保护下将货车拦停。
When police opened up the truck, they found it crammed full of bamboo cages, with as many as 20 cats stuffed into each.
当警察打开卡车时，发现里面塞满了竹笼，每个竹笼里塞满了多达20只猫。
It’s far from an isolated instance as the popularity of keeping cats as pets soars across China. Just a month earlier, Gu had intercepted another truck in Zhangjiagang, also in Suzhou, from which were rescued more than 700 cats.
这绝不是一个孤立的例子，因为养猫作为宠物在中国越来越受欢迎。就在一个月前，顾在苏州的张家港拦截了另一辆卡车，从车上救出了700多只猫。
Realising the cats’ probable final destination is also where the case becomes more distressing.
意识到猫可能的最终目的地也是案件变得更加令人痛苦的地方。
Southerly Guangdong Province is well known for its liking of dog and cat meat. There, cat meat is sold for ¥9 per kilogram, but the market price for lamb is nearer 60 yuan per kilogram.
广东南部地区以爱吃狗肉和猫肉而闻名。那里的猫肉售价为每公斤9元，而羊肉的市场价格则接近每公斤60元。
A cat weighs 3.5-4 kilograms, from which it can yield 2-2.5 kilograms of meat. The cat meat is then passed off as mutton or pork, and the difference is all profit.
一只猫重3.5-4公斤，可产肉2-2.5公斤。然后猫肉被冒充成羊肉或猪肉，差价全是利润。
“As long as one cat is caught, they make a profit, but our rescue requires a lot of investment”, said Gu. “We also once again call for national legislation to protect [the animals], regulate sources, and crack down on the black cat and dog meat industry chain.”
“只要抓到一只猫，他们就能赚钱，但我们的救援需要大量投入。”顾说。 “我们也再次呼吁国家立法保护，规范来源，打击黑猫狗肉产业链。”
