To: Wharf Rat who wrote (1556051 ) 8/31/2025 12:37:16 PM From: Maple MAGA 2 RecommendationsRecommended By
Read Replies (3) | Respond to There are records of people eating dogs and cats in the USA.Historical and Cultural Instances 19th–early 20th century : Accounts exist of pioneers, soldiers, and explorers eating dogs or cats during periods of famine or siege when no other food was available. For example, there are Civil War records of soldiers eating dogs and cats during extreme shortages. Immigrant traditions : Some immigrant groups who historically consumed dog or cat meat in their countries of origin may have occasionally carried the practice into the U.S., though it was never widespread or mainstream. Survival Situations Great Depression and earlier famines : Local newspapers sometimes reported that desperate families resorted to eating dogs or cats in dire economic times. Shipwrecks, remote regions, and survival cases : Individual stories from people stranded or starving include accounts of killing and eating pets. Legal and Modern Records Laws banning dog and cat meat : The practice is not common today, but until recently it was legal in most U.S. states to slaughter and consume your own dog or cat. The 2018 Dog and Cat Meat Trade Prohibition Act made it illegal nationwide to slaughter, buy, or sell dogs and cats for human consumption (with exceptions for Native American ritual use). Animal rescue and law enforcement reports : Occasionally, police or animal welfare agencies encounter isolated cases where individuals butcher dogs or cats for food, though these are very rare and often treated as animal cruelty cases. Lewis & Clark Expedition (1805–06, present-day ID/WA/OR): The Corps repeatedly bought dogs for food , and some men “preferred well-cooked dog meat to fish,” per the National Park Service’s history and the expedition journals (e.g., May 5, 1806). National Park Service Lewis and Clark Journals Siege of Port Hudson (LA, 1863): A Confederate soldier wrote, “we… ate all the beef—all the mules—all the dogs —and all the rats.” (NPS “Teaching with Historic Places”.) National Park Service Siege of Vicksburg (MS, 1863): Contemporary diary accounts note rats dressed for sale beside mule meat in the markets; secondary Civil War histories summarize civilians resorting to mules, dogs, and rats . (Dora R. Miller’s published diary; American Battlefield Trust overview; local history compilation.) Victorian Voices HathiTrust Digital Library Shelby County History Donner Party (Sierra Nevada, 1846–47): Archaeology at Alder Creek found canine bones , matching survivor accounts that they ate their pet dogs during the ordeal. HISTORY Modern criminal cases (cats & dogs) Orange County, CA (2012): Man admitted cooking and eating cats ; charged with felony animal cruelty (local TV/press). CBS News New Brighton, MN (2014): Man killed and partially baked his pet cat ; convicted of animal cruelty (CBS Minnesota / Star Tribune). Star Tribune Los Angeles, CA (1989): Police detained three Cambodian refugees who killed and cooked a dog for food; cultural-practice context noted in reporting. ABC30 Fresno Canton, OH (2024): Man killed and cooked a cat (police “isolated incident”); charged under state cruelty laws. wowt.com Current law (nationwide): Since 2018, federal law makes it illegal to slaughter, buy, sell, or transport dogs or cats for human consumption (with a narrow exception for Indian Tribes’ religious ceremonies ); states may enforce stricter rules. Congress.gov
