Vietnamese police discovered about 2,000 dead cats intended for use in traditional medicine, state media said on Friday.
The bodies of the felines were discovered Thursday in a slaughterhouse in Dong Thap province, in the Mekong Delta (south), along with 480 other living cats, according to the official newspaper of the province.
With a total volume of four tons, the carcasses were stored in a cold room, before being transformed into traditional medicine products through a long boiling process, according to the newspaper.
Some Vietnamese believe that extracts from cat bones can help cure diseases such as asthma and osteoporosis.
The frozen carcasses have now been destroyed, while the rescued cats will undergo health checks.
The consumption of dogs and cats is still legal in Vietnam, and many restaurants in the country serve meat, but those involved in this trade must provide certificates attesting to the origin of the animals.
The Dong Thap slaughterhouse did not produce documents authorizing the slaughter and detailing the traceability.
No one has been arrested in this case so far.
According to the NGO Four Paws International, up to one million cats fall victim to this trade every year in Vietnam.
In Asia, traditional medicine also fuels an illegal wildlife trade, and Vietnam is both a center of consumption and transit.