Hong Kong man, 37, arrested on suspicion of animal cruelty after cat abuse post
- Online post claims man attacked cat with his bare hands at private housing estate in Sha Tin
Hong Kong police have arrested a 37-year-old man on suspicion of animal cruelty, after an online post claimed a cat was being abused.
Crime squad officers launched an investigation after seeing the circulating social media post, which allegedly indicates that a man attacked a cat with his bare hands on the second floor of the Lucky Plaza private housing estate in Sha Tin last Friday.
A source familiar with the case said on Tuesday a woman passer-by heard a cat shrieking and saw a man pulling the animal’s fur.
“The man immediately fled when she shouted at him to stop,” the insider said.
The woman, who posted about the incident on Facebook, said the cat did not seem to have any serious injuries.
A stallholder at a nearby market is believed to be the owner of the cat.
After reviewing security camera footage, police arrested the man on Monday at a public housing flat on Lek Yuen Estate in the same district.
Officers also seized the clothes that the suspect had worn at the time of the alleged incident.
The jobless man was detained on suspicion of animal cruelty, which is punishable by up to three years in jail and a HK$200,000 (US$25,605) fine under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Ordinance.
Police said a preliminary check on the cat found no visible injuries and they would arrange for it to undergo further examination.
