Beijing, February 13:

China’s nascent animal rights movement claimed a rare victory today after rescuing more than 400 cats that were about to be slaughtered for their fur and meat.

They were saved from a market in Tianjin after a standoff last week between 100 pet lovers and police which left one protester hospitalised.

Until recent years, respect for animal rights was almost nonexistent in China, but the country’s rising affluence has increasingly brought with it a pet-pampering middle class.