Investigators also went undercover to look into reports of horrific conditions at cat slaughterhouses in the Philippines and dog slaughterhouses in Thailand. We found that these activities are not specifically part of the fur trade, because the animals are killed primarily for their skin (though the corpses of dogs killed in Thailand are also used for meat, animal feed, lard, and aphrodisiacs).

The dog and cat skin trade is, like the fur trade, global in scope. Companies that use cat skins from the Philippines and dog skins from Thailand may also be using skins of dogs and cats killed in China and other countries. Any of these skins may be used in products made and sold in Asia, Europe, even the United States.

While the fur and skin trades may result in different products, both result in animal suffering.

Philippine Cat Slaughter

Investigators located one cat slaughterhouse on the island of Mindanao that kills and skins as many as 100 cats on a given day.

Some skins are exported to Japan for use on drums and guitars. Only male cats are killed for their skins because the nipples of female cats reduce the usable size of the skin. This has led to a scarcity of male cats in the city where the slaughterhouse is located, and collectors now drive to distant cities to round up cats in the street. Some of these cats are strays, but according to sources in the Philippines, most are stolen pets. The cats are stuffed into sacks and driven to the slaughterhouse, a journey that can last up to six hours, without food or water.

While the owners of the cat-slaughter operation are extremely wary of strangers, investigators were eventually able to get inside the facility. They found cats crammed into cages, some trying in vain to escape, others paralyzed with fear.

In 1996, the Philippine secretary of agriculture was quoted as saying the slaughter of cats was legal as long as the animals were humanely killed. But there was nothing humane about the killing witnessed by investigators.

One by one, cats were hung from their necks by ropes while other cats watched helplessly. They didn't scream, because the rope was pulled tighter and tighter as they struggled and slowly suffocated.

The cats were then skinned, and the skins were thrown into ice water. Later, workers scraped off the fat, then salted and folded the skins in preparation for packing and shipping. Each skin was valued at about $12.50.

Thailand Dog Slaughter

Although the government of Thailand largely disapproves of slaughtering dogs, as do most Thais, massive numbers of dogs are killed in the lucrative trade for dog flesh, hide, and other body parts. Investigators documented the slaughter of dogs in the vicinity of Sakhon Nakhon in northeast Thailand.

Many different breeds of dogs, collected from all over the country, are brought to Sakhon Nakhon to be killed. One estimate is that 30,000 dogs are killed in the area of Sakhon Nakhon monthly. Many of them are puppies. Typically, dogs are brought into Sakhon Nakhon from other villages, crammed as densely as possible into a cage on the back of the collector's truck. The journey can take up to three days, and the dogs are denied food and water during the trip. By the time they reach the slaughterhouse, many are sick and some are dead. But their weakened state makes the dogs easier to kill.

It wasn't easy for the investigators to get inside the slaughterhouse because police investigations and unfavorable press reports have made workers suspicious of strangers. But the investigators eventually succeeded. There, they watched as workers sorted dog skins in the dim light.

The next night investigators watched a truck arrive at the slaughterhouse carrying 70 dogs—mixed breeds, German shepherds, and others. Some—possibly strays—were shy and frightened. Others—possibly stolen pets—looked well-groomed and trusting. All met the same fate.

Two men with heavy sticks stood ready atop the roof of a low structure onto which the dogs were unloaded. One dog after another, howling in terror, was pulled from the truck with a wire noose attached to a wooden catch pole. In plain view of the animals still inside the truck, each dog was clubbed several times over the head and on the nose. The dogs screamed in pain. The victims were then thrown to the ground and dragged off by other workers to an area where their throats were slit. In graphic footage, investigators captured some dogs still moving their tails just before their throats were cut.

Our investigation found no evidence of cats being used as part of the Thai skin trade.

How Cat and Dog Skins are Used

In Germany, investigators spoke to the president of a company dealing in cat furs and skins. The company openly uses cat-skin products as rheumatism aids. They make bandages, pulse warmers, and a variety of so-called "medicinal" products. Investigators also found dog skins sold in Germany as orthopedic products.

Elsewhere, dog and cat skins are not quite so visible. Just as labeling is a problem with fur, especially fur trim, knowing what kind of leather is used in a product can be difficult or impossible. Dog skin may be declared as lamb skin, mountain goat skin, or even "special skin."

Some products containing dog skin are almost certainly sold in the United States. Investigators found dog-skin plasters in New York's Chinatown, sold in pharmacies as a cure for rheumatism. In addition, travelers to Europe, Asia, and elsewhere may run the risk of unwittingly buying dog- and cat-skin products.

Investigators have been told that dog and cat skins are used for the following:

• Apparel
  
• Bed sheets
  
• Car upholstery
  
• Drums and musical instruments
  
• Handbags and small leather goods
  
• Golf gloves
  
• Gardening gloves
  
• "Medicinal" and orthopedic products
  
• Sporting goods

  In a particularly grisly twist, the skins of brutally slaughtered dogs in Thailand are mixed with other bits of skin to produce rawhide chew toys for pet dogs. Manufacturers told investigators that these chew toys are regularly exported to and sold in U.S. stores.

  To read the Dog and Cat Protection Act of 2000, passed after Congress learned of The HSUS's investigation into the dog and cat fur trade, download the PDF.

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