Cat Falls to Death from 12th Floor... Who Threw It or Was It an Accident?

Mother and Kitten Cats Fall from High-Rise Building in Gimhae
"Thrown While Cursing" vs "Screen Torn"

Two cats fell to their deaths from a high-rise building in Gimhae, Gyeongnam, prompting a police investigation.

According to the police on the 27th, at around 4:45 a.m. on the 24th, a cat suddenly fell with a ‘thud’ sound on a street in Naedong, Gimhae. Two minutes later, another cat fell, and the two are presumed to be a mother and her kitten.

Two cats that fell from a high-rise building in Gimhae, Gyeongnam, died instantly at the scene.
[Image provided by Animal Rights Action 'CARE']

Three citizens sitting on parasol chairs at a convenience store on the first floor of the building, drinking beverages, witnessed the cats falling and reported it to the police. The cats hit the ground hard as if they had been thrown, had a brief seizure, and then died instantly.

Witnesses said they heard a man and woman arguing on the 12th floor at the time, and stated, "The woman was shouting and cursing while throwing the cat." Based on their statements, the police are focusing on the possibility that the cats were thrown out of the building by external force and are analyzing closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage as part of the investigation.

On the other hand, the cat owner living on the floor in question explained to Yonhap News TV, "The cats fell because the insect screen was torn." Regarding the suspicion that the cats were deliberately thrown, the owner rebutted, "Please don’t spread strange rumors."

Citizens shocked to see the fallen cats.
Photo by Yonhap News

Meanwhile, the animal rights group ‘Kara’ filed a complaint against the person suspected of throwing the cats for violating the Animal Protection Act. Kara stated, "We have submitted a complaint regarding the Gimhae cat killing incident," adding, "They caused the innocent cats to die in a cruel manner, which is a clear violation of the Animal Protection Act."

They further claimed, "(According to informants) someone was holding a cat, and the cat was clinging to that person’s arm with its legs. That person then detached the cat’s legs one by one with their hands and soon threw the cat downward with both hands."

They added, "It is necessary to investigate whether there were other physical abuses before the cats were thrown. For this, an autopsy of the bodies must be conducted."

According to the Animal Protection Act, anyone who kills an animal faces up to three years in prison or a fine of up to 30 million won, and anyone who causes injury faces up to two years in prison or a fine of up to 20 million won.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.