# Illegal to eat dogs and cats in US? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 13, 2006, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/illegal-to-eat-dogs-and-cats-in-us/372598 "2006-09-13T21:11:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Operation\_Ripper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/34f0e0/32.png) [@Operation\_Ripper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Operation_Ripper)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2006, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/illegal-to-eat-dogs-and-cats-in-us/372598/1 "2006-09-13T21:11:02Z")
Inspired by [this](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=387966) thread. Is it illegal to eat dogs and cats anywhere in the US? How about illegal to buy or sell dogs or cats to be eaten anywhere in the US? I’m familiar of course with the cultural taboo associated with this activity, but don’t seem to have ever heard that it was expressly illegal to do so. I would imagine if it were, it would be a state thing only, not federal. ---
**Author:** ![gazpacho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/6f9a4e/32.png) [@gazpacho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gazpacho)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2006, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/illegal-to-eat-dogs-and-cats-in-us/372598/2 "2006-09-13T21:29:07Z")
In California it is illegal. > **[California Penal Code Section 598 - California Attorney Resources -...](https://law.onecle.com/california/penal/598.html)** > > California state laws including the Business and Profession Code, Civil Code, Code of Civil Procedure, Commercial Code, Corporations Code, Education Code, Evidence Code, Family Code, Fish and Game Code, Health and Safety Code, Insurance Code, Labor... > [@](#): > > (b) Every person is guilty of a misdemeanor who possesses, imports into this state, sells, buys, gives away or accepts any pelt of a dog or cat with the sole intent of selling or giving away the pelt of the dog or cat, or who possesses, imports into this state, sells, buys, gives away, or accepts any dog or cat, with the sole intent of killing or having killed such dog or cat for the purpose of selling or giving away the pelt of such animal. 598b. (a) Every person is guilty of a misdemeanor who possesses, imports into, or exports from, this state, sells, buys, gives away, or accepts any carcass or part of any carcass of any animal traditionally or commonly kept as a pet or companion with the intent of using or having another person use any part of that carcass for food. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2006, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/illegal-to-eat-dogs-and-cats-in-us/372598/3 "2006-09-13T23:06:03Z")
[QUOTE=Operation Ripper] I would imagine if it were, it would be a state thing only, not federal. [/QUOTE] Interestingly, there was an article recently about attempts in the Congress to ban the slaughter of horses for meat in the US. Although apparently every state makes human horse consumption illegal, there is a thriving export market for horse meat, so there’s interstate and foreign trade issues at play. ---
**Author:** ![Boozahol\_Squid\_P.I](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/d9b06d/32.png) [@Boozahol\_Squid\_P.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boozahol_Squid_P.I)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2006, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/illegal-to-eat-dogs-and-cats-in-us/372598/4 "2006-09-14T01:02:32Z")
[QUOTE=gazpacho] Every person is guilty of a misdemeanor who possesses, imports into, or exports from, this state, sells, buys, gives away, or accepts any carcass or part of any carcass of any animal traditionally or commonly kept as a pet or companion with the intent of using or having another person use any part of that carcass for food. [/QUOTE] That makes me wonder about rabbits. They are both common on the dinner plate and as pets. Can I not get my lapin provencale in LA? ---
**Author:** ![gazpacho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/6f9a4e/32.png) [@gazpacho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gazpacho)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2006, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/illegal-to-eat-dogs-and-cats-in-us/372598/5 "2006-09-14T01:13:26Z")
[QUOTE=Diomedes] That makes me wonder about rabbits. They are both common on the dinner plate and as pets. Can I not get my lapin provencale in LA? [/QUOTE] I don’t know about LA but I have seen rabit in resturants in other California cities. ---
**Author:** ![Moirai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/96bed5/32.png) [@Moirai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moirai)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2006, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/illegal-to-eat-dogs-and-cats-in-us/372598/6 "2006-09-14T01:26:29Z")
I used to eat rabbit all the time in Colorado- I wonder if they have a similar statute? ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2006, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/illegal-to-eat-dogs-and-cats-in-us/372598/7 "2006-09-14T01:32:18Z")
I believe rabbits would not be considered _traditionally_ a pet or _companion animal_, but more like livestock. ---
**Author:** ![Amp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Amp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amp)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2006, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/illegal-to-eat-dogs-and-cats-in-us/372598/8 "2006-09-14T01:40:51Z")
[QUOTE=friedo] Although apparently every state makes human horse consumption illegal, there is a thriving export market for horse meat, so there’s interstate and foreign trade issues at play. [/QUOTE] Are you sure about that? According to this [site](http://www.equineprotectionnetwork.com/saveamericashorses/index.html): > [@](#): > > We do not raise our horses in the United States for food and fiber, and we do not view our horses as food animals. When we breed our horses, we dream of the next Triple Crown winner, not our next steak dinner. **It is not illegal to eat a horse in the US,** yet Americans voluntarily choose not to eat horses, just as we choose not to eat our dogs and cats. The reason is really quite simple, it is not our culture. ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2006, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/illegal-to-eat-dogs-and-cats-in-us/372598/9 "2006-09-14T01:50:22Z")
[QUOTE=Diomedes] That makes me wonder about rabbits. They are both common on the dinner plate and as pets. Can I not get my lapin provencale in LA? [/QUOTE] I wondered specifically about rabbits when that silly initiative was on the ballot a few years ago. Either there is some type of tortured semantics that apply, or everybody’s just being sensible enough to look the other way. I’ve occasionally seen rabbit in the supermarket in CA. Then we have guinea pigs. They are consumed as food in several South American countries, which is, in fact, what Andean tribes originally domesticated them for. It’s not real common yet, but apparently immigrant communities from those places are continuing to do so. ---
**Author:** ![tashabot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tashabot/32/6250_2.png) [@tashabot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tashabot)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2006, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/illegal-to-eat-dogs-and-cats-in-us/372598/10 "2006-09-14T02:30:25Z")
There IS a thriving horse market in other countries. Nevada is where some of this legislation originated from (I, personally, think it’s BS, but whatever). There is, indeed, a huge market for horse meat in some European countries, and so they take the so-called “wild” horses and round them up, and sell them off for meat. My best advice is that if the site you come across has something like “protection network” or “protection league” in the URL, take pretty much everything they have to say with a grain of salt - I have to deal with these people on a daily basis, and the majority of them are complete nutjobs. I can’t say I blame them for valuing equine companionship above human companionship, but there’s a point where it goes so far that it becomes a little creepy and fanatical. As to the OP, I can’t say I’d _want_ to eat cats or dogs. Most of the carnivore flesh I’ve tasted tasted…gross. I’ll stick with fat ol’ herbevores from now on. ~Tasha ---
**Author:** ![mks57](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b9bd4f/32.png) [@mks57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mks57)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2006, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/illegal-to-eat-dogs-and-cats-in-us/372598/11 "2006-09-14T05:21:20Z")
Do they still send old horses to the glue factory? That was a cliché in fiction when I was a child. ---
**Author:** ![Xema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9de053/32.png) [@Xema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xema)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2006, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/illegal-to-eat-dogs-and-cats-in-us/372598/12 "2006-09-14T16:00:29Z")
[QUOTE=Diomedes] That makes me wonder about rabbits. [/QUOTE] Not to mention [pet pigs](http://www.pigsaspets.org/). Extending protection to any animal “commonly kept as a pet or companion” seems decidedly vague. ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2006, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/illegal-to-eat-dogs-and-cats-in-us/372598/13 "2006-09-14T16:53:10Z")
[QUOTE=friedo] Interestingly, there was an article recently about attempts in the Congress to ban the slaughter of horses for meat in the US. Although apparently every state makes human horse consumption illegal, there is a thriving export market for horse meat, so there’s interstate and foreign trade issues at play. [/QUOTE] Illegal to eat horsemeat? Not exactly. I can’t speak for other states, but in Indiana, it’s illegal to **sell** horsemeat for human consumption. However, if you buy a horse\*, you can take it to a meat processing shop and have them butcher it for you. They charge you for the service, which is legal. You take all the meat home for your freezer, and if you don’t sell any of it, that’s legal, too. I am told it’s like beef, only a bit sweeter. It’s legal to sell it as pet food, too, if labeled “not for human consumption.” \*At a horse auction, there’s often a lame or untrainable horse for sale, and they go cheap. Even after paying the processor, you can get a winter’s worth of meat for very little money. ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2006, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/illegal-to-eat-dogs-and-cats-in-us/372598/14 "2006-09-14T16:58:29Z")
There are a few rabbit sellers around here. One of them, every spring, puts out a sign; **Easter Bunnies, live or dressed**.