Who ordered the sweet and sour pussies? Moment truck crammed with FIVE HUNDRED cats was stopped en route to restaurants in China

By DAVID BAKER

Disturbing: When the cats were found some had been struggling to breathe through small holes in burlap sacks

These pictures show the disturbing moment a truck crammed with 500 cats was stopped during a routine check - as it made its way to restaurants across China.
The neglected and hungry cats were piled together in cages as the truck seemingly made its way to food outlets to sell the pets as meat.
Luckily, the animals, some of which had been cruelly stuffed in bags, were rescued thanks to vehicle checks in Xuzhou, in the eastern province of Jiangsu.

Caged animals: Many of the 500 cats were crammed together in tiny cages as they made the trip in the back of the truck across China

Having pulled over the truck in what they assumed was a run of the mill stop, officers were shocked to find the horrific haul.
Officer Sun Hai, who helped rescue the terrified felines along with a colleague, said: 'The driver said it was a full load of rabbit.
'But after we instructed him to uncover the load we were shocked to find a full load of living cats.'

Intercepted: The felines were rescued thanks to routine vehicle checks, before they were sold as food

Following the find the pair informed volunteers from a local animal protection centre who quickly arrived on the scene.
They cut open the bags with keys and knives to save the animals from suffocation and also bought water and food.
It is believed that the owner of the load refused to reveal where the cats had come from and it even took seven hours of negotiations to get him to hand them over to rescue teams.

Helping hand: Volunteers rushed to give the cats water, before they were transferred to an animal centre for treatment

source: dailymail