Many cat owners in Vietnam fear their beloved pets will be stolen for a banned, but popular practice. The trend is called ‘little tiger’ and involves cats being cooked and served as snacks to go along with beer.

Many cat owners in Vietnam fear their beloved pets will be stolen for a banned, but popular practice. The trend is called ‘little tiger’ and involves cats being cooked and served as snacks to go along with beer, typically in the beginning of every lunar month.

Dozens of Hanoi-based restaurants list ‘little tiger’ on their menus despite the fact that it’s prohibited. The felines are put through unimaginable torture.

They are drowned before being shaved, burned and fried with garlic. The country made the consumption of cats illegal in an effort to encourage feline ownership and keep the rat population under control. However, the ban has had little success in stopping the practice.

One restaurant manager, Van Dung, commented “A lot of people eat cat meat. It's a novelty. They want to try it.” Dung said the cats are purchased from local breeders and cat traders, but explained that the demand is so high, some restaurant owners are allegedly resorting to buying smuggled cats from Thailand and Laos.

A local veterinarian says cats aren't bred to be slaughtered and believes the majority of the felines served in dining establishments were abducted from loving human families.