China's feline fanciers are furious that their furry friends are being fried, filleted, fricasseed, flambeed and otherwise fed to the unfeeling.

Bowing to protests by animal-rights activists and cat-lovers, Fangji Cat Meatball, a Shenzhen restaurant specializing in cat meat, was forced to close on Saturday.

Demonstrators said the restaurant was singled out because it openly slaughtered cats on the sidewalk and said the bloody sight was unnerving for students.

About 40 demonstrators wore white roses in memory of slaughtered cats in the Saturday protest.

The owner, who reportedly shifted carcasses elsewhere, said he wouldn't sell cat meat again.

Activists shouted: "Cats and dogs are human friends - don't eat them!"

They vowed to return daily until cats were removed from the menu.

Many people, especially in south China, favor dog and cat meat, saying it keeps them warm in cold winter months, though business is strong even in the hot summer.

Still, as China becomes more affluent, more people take cats and dogs as pets, showering them with good food and medical care - better than that enjoyed by many Chinese.

Many Chinese are outraged that their countrymen enjoy eating dogs or cats.

The protest was organized by a woman identified as Isobel, founder of a Shenzhen cat-protection Website.

Isobel said they chose Fangji Cat Meatball because it slaughtered cats in the street, calling it "very bad for students from nearby schools."

Media reports said that in Guangzhou alone thousands of cats were eaten every day in winter.

Cat activists, mostly women, poured into the restaurant demanding the cats be freed. They burst into tears upon finding a skinned carcass. They found no live cats.

"I cannot go on with my business, and I will not sell cat meat any more," the owner said after taking down his shop sign.

But he said that Guangdong Province has a tradition of eating cats.

Protesters and observers said they would monitor the situation and report cat "murders."

One protester, Miss Shenzhen 2005, Gao Haiyun, shouted: "Stop eating them and become civilized."