Cuban Guide Tells Tourists About Dire Situation: "People Are Eating Cats Here"

In his role as a tour guide, a Cuban man shared a stark account of the harsh realities faced by the people on the island, revealing some of the grim truths of everyday life and the current situation in Cuba. In a video posted on the TikTok account TitoLibertad, during a tour through the streets of Havana, the local guide shared with a couple of tourists the serious difficulties most citizens encounter daily, offering an intimate and realistic perspective.

"People here are eating cats," he stated emphatically, referencing the severe food shortages. "Many people are now eating the street cats; they kill them and eat them," he added, before warning that he would show them "the tourist markets, where you can find everything, but you have to buy with foreign currency."

He continued, "You will see what Cuba is really like, so no one can lie to you," commenting on how Cubans risk their lives trying to reach Miami by sea, sometimes using car tires. He also described the poor state of buildings and the dangers faced by families living in them.

The tour included a stop at San Rafael Boulevard in Central Havana, where the guide pointed out a store operating in MLC (Freely Convertible Currency). At that moment, one of the tourists asked if these markets had everything, prompting the guide to explain the need to acquire euros to shop there. "We have to deal with this shamelessness," he remarked without hesitation.

The brief video, just over a minute long, exposes the difficult circumstances the population endures and unveils aspects of Cuba that many tourists never get to see.

Official Denials and Animal Welfare Concerns

For instance, in April, the regime was forced to deny information circulating online about the alleged illegal production of ground meat from dog and cat meat. In a note shared on its Facebook account, the Government of Havana claimed that the news about the mixed ground meat production was merely intended to incite panic and discredit the authorities.

However, that same month, they had to address publications circulating on social media about the slaughter of dogs for meat in some areas of Mayabeque. An informative note signed by the Ministry of Agriculture referred to incidents against animal welfare that occurred in the municipality of San José de las Lajas, Mayabeque, which had caught the authorities' attention due to their dissemination on social media.

The government statement focused on condemning the "killing of dogs in that area," describing it as "a violation of all Health and Animal Welfare norms, breaching the ethical and moral principles of our society."

According to the note, "the Ministry of Agriculture vehemently condemns this regrettable incident and is conducting the necessary investigations through the National Animal Health Center (CENASA)." They also assured that "they will apply the maximum administrative, disciplinary, and regulatory sanctions applicable in such cases, as stipulated in the Animal Welfare Policy and current legal norms."

Furthermore, in December 2023, Cuban animal rights activists demanded justice for the cats hunted in recent days on the island by people who claimed they had secured their "New Year's Eve dinner." Amid the food shortages in the country, a Cuban man displayed his hunting trophy: a white and yellow cat, which he intended to keep for his New Year's Eve dinner.