A 33-year-old man has been arrested by Malaysian police in connection with a video showing the abuse of a cat. The North Klang district police in Selangor announced the arrest in a Facebook post on June 26, stating that the man, a foreign national, was apprehended on June 25. A mobile phone was also seized during the investigation. The man’s nationality was not disclosed.
The Malaysia Animal Association had offered a RM3,000 (S$863) reward for information leading to the man’s arrest. The non-governmental organization (NGO) detailed the incident in a June 24 Facebook post, sharing images and a 48-second video showing a man using a chopper to skin a cat while speaking to the camera in halting Malay. The NGO suggested that the man might be a Myanmar national working at a snack shop in Selangor.
The video has sparked outrage on social media, with the NGO emphasizing that killing cats for consumption is not part of Malaysian cultural practices and should not be normalized. Many Facebook users expressed their anger and disgust over the incident, with some speculating on the man’s motives.
A report of the incident has also circulated on Reddit, with users calling for the man to be imprisoned. Some Reddit users noted that it was unclear if the cat was alive when the abuse occurred, with one user suggesting the cat might have already been dead.
Under the Malaysian Animal Welfare Act, those found guilty of cruelty towards animals may face fines ranging from RM20,000 to RM100,000, up to three years in prison, or both. In 2019, a man was sentenced to two years in jail for causing the death of a pregnant cat at a laundry in Kuala Lumpur.
