A man in China who cruelly tortured and killed a stray cat and was captured by a vigilant neighbor while disposing of the animal’s body has been fired from his job following widespread outrage over his actions.
The incident unfolded in a residential community in Shanghai, situated on China’s central coast, where a man took it upon himself to torment and ultimately kill a stray cat named Dabao. The feline was part of a “cat house,” a shelter established by compassionate cat lovers in the neighborhood to provide refuge for stray cats, as reported by the news platform eastday.com.
The cruel act came to light when a neighbor, reviewing surveillance footage of the cat house, spotted the man attempting to conceal the lifeless body of Dabao. The presence of the surveillance camera was aimed at safeguarding the welfare of the animals within.
Describing the distressing scene, the neighbor recounted on social media, “Suddenly, two legs appeared, and a man holding a blue plastic bag grabbed Dabao by his neck and put him into the bag, then left the cat house. I immediately had an inauspicious premonition, so I alerted another volunteer and asked her to check on the cat house.”
Stray cats are often embraced by local residents in Chinese residential compounds, receiving care and sustenance. Some communities even go to the extent of setting up shelters to shield these animals from harsh weather conditions.
Following the revelation of the incident, another volunteer promptly identified the man seen in the video as a fellow resident and traced his address. Despite knocking on his door, the man did not respond.
In a matter of minutes, the same volunteer encountered the man near a recreational area, endeavoring to bury the cat’s lifeless body. Confronted by the volunteer, the man admitted to drowning the cat, attributing his brutal act to a loss of control.
The tragic fate of Dabao spurred the initial neighbor who raised the alarm to call upon Chinese authorities to swiftly establish laws prohibiting animal cruelty and to impose severe penalties for harming and killing animals.
Expressing their profound disapproval, the neighbor remarked, “I’d like to say all kinds of swear words against him. I call on the state government to make laws against animal abuse. I hope this man can be put under a spotlight.”
