Turned Up TV to Hide Meowing... Chinese Man Abused 1,500 Cats Over Four Years

A Series of Cat Remains Discovered
Concerns Over Light Punishments in China Due to Lack of Animal Protection Laws

In China, a man is under investigation by authorities for allegedly abusing and killing more than 1,000 cats over several years.

According to the Hong Kong Ming Pao and other local media outlets on April 27, a man surnamed Ma from Pingdingshan, Henan Province, is suspected of abusing and killing over 1,500 cats over a period of about four years. Ma reportedly mutilated the bodies of the cats in a brutal manner before discarding the remains, and uploaded related videos to online communities in exchange for money or goods.

The case was uncovered thanks to the efforts of animal rescue activists. In recent months, as the bodies of cats showing signs of abuse were repeatedly discovered, activists launched their own investigation, identified the suspect, and handed him over to the police.

Zhang, who has long been involved in rescuing stray cats, stated, "Ma took more than 20 cats from an elderly neighbor under the pretense of 'helping with online adoption.'" Zhang added, "On the morning of April 18, Ma adopted a kitten, and that same night around 11 p.m., he suddenly turned up the volume on his TV at home," suggesting that he was trying to cover up the sound of the cat crying. In the early hours of April 19, activists found the body of a cat in a trash bin.

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The investigation revealed that Ma usually committed the crimes late at night and disposed of the bodies afterward. Since 2022, he had adopted numerous cats through pet shops, online platforms, and rescue organizations, but the whereabouts of most of these cats remain unknown. In some cases, he is suspected of pretending to adopt cats in order to gain access to them and then committing the crimes.

It has been reported that activists collected video and photographic evidence of the abuse and submitted it to the police. During this process, it was discovered that Ma had also been active in a cat abuse community on Telegram, sharing related videos. This community reportedly has about 1,000 members, and it is alleged that members produced specific types of abuse videos in exchange for cryptocurrency, continuing their crimes in an organized manner.

The police have filed charges against Ma for disturbing public order and imposed a 10-day administrative detention. However, the investigation is ongoing, and authorities stated that further verification is needed regarding the specific charges and nature of the case. Media outlets pointed out that because China does not have an animal protection law, many cases of animal abuse result in relatively light punishments, such as being charged with disturbing public order or intentional property damage.

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