More than 20 dead cats in plastic bags were found hanging from trees by the sea in Changhua County’s Fangyuan Township (芳苑) on Sunday, an example of a folk tradition still practiced in rural areas that has caused controversy.
Fluids were dripping from the bags, some of which had fallen to the ground, exposing rotting bodies and skeletons in the ghost money-littered woods.
The practice has its origin from an old saying: “Hang dead cats from a tree and put dead dogs in the river,” local historian Wei Ching-shui (魏清水) said.
Cats are traditionally believed to be incarnations of spirits from the netherworld and must not be buried in the ground, but hung on “ghostly” trees such as she-oaks or pandanus for 49 days to purge the evil spirits from the bodies and help the cats reincarnate, Wei said.
He said he hopes that the practice could be discontinued to prevent the spread of disease.
“The hanging of dead cats is a charitable practice and there is nothing to be afraid of,” a local resident surnamed Tseng (曾), 90, said.
She said she had twice collected bodies of cats killed by vehicles on the road, put them in plastic bags and hung them from trees and scattered ghost money to bid them farewell.
Changhua County Animal Disease Control Center director Tung Mang-chih (董孟治) said that only live cats carry parasites and cat corpses hung in the open are unlikely to spread disease.
The disposal of dead animals should be pursuant to the Waste Disposal Act (廢棄物清理法), Tung said, adding that bodies of dead animals should be wrapped in plastic bags and delivered to a cleaning squad or animal crematorium.
Changhua County Environmental Protection Bureau Deputy Director-General Lin Mang-hung (林孟弘) said that the unauthorized disposal of dead animals is punishable by a fine ranging from NT$1,200 to NT$6,000 according to the Waste Disposal Act and fines can be inflicted multiple times if no correction is made.
If a dead animal is found on public property, the bureau would inform the authorities and dispatch a local cleaning squad to help dispose of it, Lin said.
National Taichung University Taiwanese literature and folk tradition professor at Lin Mao-hsien (林茂賢) said some Taiwanese believe that cats and dogs have souls and burying their bodies at locations suitable for human graves could turn their souls into spirits, which is why some people do not bury cats and dogs.
However, the tradition is unsanitary and unsightly and should change with the times, he said.
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