Hong Kong woman arrested for animal cruelty after 32 cats and a dog found in tiny public housing flat
Hong Kong Free Press
A Hong Kong woman has been arrested for animal cruelty after police found 32 cats and one dog in her public housing flat, which reportedly measured just 200 square feet.
Police arrived at the flat at midnight on Wednesday after receiving complaints of a smell and broke into the unit on the Fu Shin Estate in Tai Po.
“We found 32 cats and one dog in the unit. Among them, five cats have poor health conditions, suspected of being maltreated, ” police said in a statement. A cat’s body was also found.
Police later arrested the 41-year-old female tenant, who is being detained for investigations. The animals were transferred to the care of the agriculture department.
The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) told Ming Pao it took away one cat’s body, and five live cats for medical care. The remaining animals were transferred to the Agriculture Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) .
In response to HKFP, the AFCD said that they received 27 cats and one dog. The cat breeds received were mainly domestic shorthair cats and American shorthair cats, while the dog received was a Poodle. Following a veterinary inspection, the overall health condition of the 28 animals was generally normal, but some were slightly underweight. The AFCD will therefore transfer them to suitable institutions for rehoming, it said.
Local media outlets said the public housing unit was around 200 square feet. A family of four were living in it but nobody was there and the electricity was off when police broke in. There was some pet food and water in the flat, but much excrement had been left uncleaned and there was a strong smell.
Penalty for animal cruelty
Hong Kong established the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Ordinance in 1935 and the law was amended in 2006 to increase penalties.
According to the ordinance, cruelty is punishable by up to three years’ imprisonment and a fine of up to HK$200,000.
Last month police arrested a 37-year-old man for suspected animal cruelty after a post went viral online accusing a man of abusing a cat in Sha Tin.
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