Eating cats and dogs might be more commonly associated with the far east, but Switzerland has also had reputation in the past for households to consume their pets.

Cured dog meat and roasted cats in particular were traditional fare in parts of Switzerland in the past.

In the cantons of Bern, Jura, and Lucerne, cat meat (cooked in thyme) used to be known as a popular Christmas dish among farmers, FAZ claims.

In parts of Ticino, cat meat was once as common as “chicken in a basket” (pollo al cestello), mostly due to poverty.

One Swiss resident with a long memory told Tages-Anzeiger, that they remember ‘fattened-dogs for sale’ being commonly advertised in eastern Switzerland’s newspapers during the 1940s and 1950s – and some dogs still appeared in advertisements as late as the 1960s.

READ MORE: All you need to know about bringing your pets to Switzerland

But traditions aside, is eating your pet cat or dog really legal in Switzerland and do people still do it?

It turns out that yes, if you live in Switzerland, you may eat your pet cat or dog whenever hunger strikes.

However the reality is that it is not common at all these days.

The Local did report back in 2012 that cats and dogs were still being eaten in Switzerland, according to a Swiss media report.

At the time Tages Anzeiger newspaper reported that there were no statistics on the number of dogs and cats killed every year in Switzerland and social disapproval of dog-eating means the practice was shrouded in secrecy.

No commercial abattoirs slaughter dogs or cats, but farmers in the Appenzell and St Gallen cantons in German-speaking Switzerland often slaughter the animals themselves, the newspaper said.

Hansuli Huber, spokesperson for the Swiss Society for the Protection of Animals, told Tages Anzeiger at the time that people these days “could no longer imagine eating pets.” 

While the practice remains legal there are a few rules around it.

Both cat and dog meat may only be used for personal consumption, which means that only the family members living in your household may consume your pet cat or dog.

This also means that you are not allowed to invite family members outside of your family, friends, or fellow co-workers over for dinner if the meal will feature your (dead) pet.

Despite this rule, some Ticino households are known to still use a popular joke on their non-cat meat-eating dinner guests: make them believe that the main course was cooked with rabbit meat – not cat. The gag is not revealed until after the guest has complimented the host’s cooking.

Other rules stipulate that you must observe Switzerland’s legal animal welfare standards, meaning your pet has to be killed in a humane manner and preferably a professional.

Animal protection law stipulates that animals must be treated gently during slaughter – i.e. when killed for food production – which requires special knowledge and skills.

More specifically, vertebrates may only be killed after prior anaesthesia.

If you should choose to slaughter your pet cat or dog yourself, chances are you will break Switzerland’s law on animal protection which is punishable with either a fine or a prison sentence of up to three years.

You should also note that while eating your pet cat or dog is (regrettably) allowed in Switzerland, selling cat or dog meat is not. This also means that you are not allowed to buy cat or dog meat off a friend.

Likewise, you may not give away cat or dog meat for free outside of your nuclear family or accept any cat or dog meat handed to you.

Cat and dog meat may also not be advertised (for sale or free of charge) in Switzerland, nor are you allowed to store it anywhere.

READ MORE: Where and when must dogs be kept on a leash in Switzerland?

Why is no ban in place?

Despite numerous calls to enforce a ban on munching on one’s furry friends, the Swiss are yet to prohibit the practice.

In 1993, an animal protection association collected some 6,000 signatures in hopes of banning the consumption of cat and dog meat. The petition was then submitted to the Parliament, though it was unsuccessful.

At the time, the Parliament felt that there was no reason for the law to control people’s eating habits.

Similar petitions have also been launched by other organisations in the past, such as the Mensch-Tier-Spirits-Helvetia. Given that it is not a widespread practice it appears Swiss lawmakers have greater concerns than to introduce a ban.

Yet, as of today, it is remains perfectly legal to eat your pet cat or dog in Switzerland – as long as you follow the rules of course.

How did Switzerland become known as a nation of pet eaters?

The Swiss aren’t so sure themselves how the country earned this reputation.

One hint may be Switzerland’s (former) Wikipedia page where – as Tages-Anzeiger claims – the nation’s love for cat meat was briefly mentioned.

Though the page no longer features a nod to cat meat, Swiss newspapers, such as Blick, 20 Minuten and SRF, have in the past covered the country’s cat meat consumption with international headlines not far behind.

Ticino resident Alda Fogliani told Blick in 2013 that she was very familiar with the so-called “Miau Miau” recipe, which features roasted cat and was still eaten in northern Ticino’s private circles.

Though Fogliani no longer eats cats herself due to today’s canned cat food rendering cat meat inedible, she concurs that fresh cat meat used to taste delicious.

Fogliani also remembered her deceased neighbour, called Mazzagatti (cat killer), because he would always store cat meat in the freezer.

Another interviewee, 85-year-old Gualtiero Rossetti, told Blick that he would regularly hunt wild cats with his Flobert rifle as the animals proved too smart for bear traps.

In 2014, Neuchâtel animal rights activist Tomi Tomek made headlines with her claim that around 3 percent of the Swiss population, then some 250,000 people, regularly ate cats and dogs.

The international news agency AFP then reported on this figure after which the message spread across the globe like wildfire, bestowing upon Switzerland a pet eater image it still fails to shed to this day.