Dead cat with burns on body found outside Hong Kong secondary school, prompting animal cruelty investigation

A dead cat with burns on its body was found outside a secondary school in Hong Kong on Wednesday, prompting police to launch a criminal investigation.

Officers were called soon after 10.30am when a pedestrian found the animal outside Tung Wah Group of Hospitals Yau Tze Tin Memorial College on Siu Hong Road, Tuen Mun.

“Burn marks were found on the cat’s body,” a police spokesman said. He added the case had been classified as cruelty to an animal, and would be handled by detectives from the Tuen Mun criminal investigation unit. No arrests had been made.

A witness said the cat was an adult female domestic shorthair and did not have an identification microchip. He said a bite mark was found on the body, and it appeared that leaves and branches had been set alight and used to burn the animal.

 The body was collected by staff from the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA). It will be handed to the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department, which will carry out a necropsy to determine the cause of death.

Separately, an injured cat was found outside Jockey Club Tak Wah Park on Tak Wah Street, Tsuen Wan at about 9.45am. The animal, which suffered serious injuries, was taken to the SPCA clinic for treatment.

Initial investigation showed it was one of two adult domestic shorthairs that fell down from a block of flats while chasing each other, police said. The other cat died at the scene.

In Hong Kong, cruelty to animals carries a maximum penalty of three years in jail and a fine of up to HK$200,000 (US$25,500).