Seeing as they hold one of the few positions that regular citizens can vote for, Hong Kong’s lawmakers are responsible for airing the concerns of their constituents in parliament. And what’s getting our legislators fired up now, you wonder? Could it be our fight for democracy, the impending state visit from President Xi Jinping, or the potential impeachment of Chief Executive CY Leung? No, cats. Specifically, whether they can be trained to form a band of professional rat hunters.
Earlier today, pro-Beijing lawmaker and actual elected official Ann Chiang bravely walked into the legislative chamber and proposed – amazingly, not for the first time – training stray cats to form a “rat extermination squad” (a.k.a. kill squad) in districts “plagued by rodent infestation”, such as Sham Shui Po and Mong Kok.
Chiang, who brought a photo of a cat with a rat in its mouth (gotta have visual aids to match those oratorical fireworks), suggested that the government give stray cats which had been sterilized and vaccinated by the Agriculture and Fisheries Conservation Department to tackle rodent hotspots such as dried goods stores and produce stalls in public markets.
While he acknowledged cats’ rodent-hunting prowess, Secretary for Food and Health Dr. Ko Wing-man said “employing” cats would pose a health threat to the environment, affecting the government’s current strategy of dealing with rodents. Ko raised concerns that the cats would spread disease “through their excreta” (read: poops), which may then “pollute the environment” and result in food safety problems. Fair (do) dos.
On top of potential health risks, Ko noted that “employing” stray cats in rat-infested areas would conflict with the government’s existing strategy of laying rat traps and rodenticides, as they would have to be removed for the cats’ safety. Not to mention it’s insane.
You could say that the cat kill squad is something of a “pet project” for Chiang; she first suggested the “solution” during a LegCo meeting on animal rights in April, and even proposed holding a district-wide rat extermination competition, where the district (and cats) with the highest kill count would be crowned the winner. So basically, she wants to enact a tiny, furry Hunger Games. What would the prize even be? A dimebag of dank catnip? #KittyKush
Eccentric animal initiatives aside, Chiang has also attracted attention for comparing opposition lawmakers to mental patients (and offending mental health advocates in the process), condoning police brutality, and getting drunk (or at least tipsy) on power whilst chairing a panel meeting.
