"Hung Upside Down to Drain All Blood"
Authorities Conducting Investigation
Claims have emerged that blood is being drawn from stray cats and sold in China.
According to the Hong Kong South China Morning Post (SCMP) on November 2 (local time), a blogger in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, southern China, posted on her social networking service (SNS) on October 24 that her own cat had received a blood transfusion after falling ill.
When the animal hospital recommended using a blood bank, the woman purchased a bag of cat blood for 800 yuan (about 160,000 won). She believed it would be safe due to strict regulations similar to those for human blood, but a few hours later, her cat's condition worsened, developed a high fever, and eventually died from a bacterial infection caused by contaminated blood.
The woman explained, "A single cat can have up to 10 milliliters of blood drawn per kilogram of body weight. Blood banks purchase stray cats for just a few dozen yuan and extract three or four bags of blood from each cat." She added, "One bag of blood is sold for 800 yuan, which means a minimum profit of 2,400 yuan can be made from a single cat."
One internet user even posted a video exposing the blood extraction process. In the video, workers were seen hanging cats upside down to extract every last drop of blood, claiming that all the blood was drained from their bodies. In connection with this, the local forestry and landscaping bureau is reportedly conducting an investigation.
Cats generally have three blood types: type A, type B, and, rarely, type AB. Type A or type B cats must receive blood from donors with the same blood type; otherwise, there is a risk of fatal reactions.
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