A "mentally ill" man in China stomped on a cat, broke its legs and gouged out its eyes in a public area. But he only received a fine and an administrative detention of 15 days.
The man, with the last name Cai, was spotted outside a park in a residential area in Quzhou, Zhejiang province, on March 1.
According to the South China Morning Post (SCMP), Cai, wearing large gloves, appeared to be continuously stomping on the white cat. He later used a surgical knife to gouge out the cat's eyes and snapped its arms and legs.
Some locals, who said the sight was too brutal, urged Cai to stop, but the man continued flashing the knife and threatened to kill anyone who attempted to stop him.
Cai was held in administrative jail for verbally and physically altercating with people and viciously harming animals in a public setting, the local administration said.
It was unclear if Cai raised the cat as a pet or as a stray. Some locals claimed Cai had a "mental illness", which allowed him to evade any legal repercussions.
In a statement issued on March 9, the authorities charged Cai with violating public order for which China has a maximum 15-day administrative detention period. The administration provided no further details regarding Cai's mental health.
A footage of the video showed the cat vomited blood and lay limp on the ground, SCMP reported.
In 2023, a 22-year-old Chicago man, Thomas Martel, killed and tortured at least four kittens. Martel was charged with four felony counts of severe cruelty to animals and two felony counts of animal torture, as per the Chicago Police Department. Martel surrendered to the police following a report of animal cruelty from a 29-year-old woman.
