Cat Abuse: A Growing Issue in China

A Sad Story, but Important to Share 😿

Note: the article does not include graphic images.

You may have come across this topic through one of CNN's recent investigations or the Netflix series Don’t F**k with Cats. The reality is that the world can be more disturbing than we’d like to imagine.

While cats are beloved family members to many, to some, they tragically become defenseless victims of torture, exploited to satisfy pathological desires. These horrific acts are often filmed, shared within communities, and even sold for profit.

It's important to highlight that while many of these videos are produced in China—largely due to the lack of robust animal protection laws—Western internet users rank among the largest consumers of this kind of content. This is undeniably a global issue.

猫咪是许多家庭中的重要成员，照顾好它们的健康，甚至带它们参与跨国的评分比赛，是许多猫奴家庭热衷的活动。但与此同时，虐猫网络却也在网络上默默成型。

一些人通过领养等方式取得猫咪后，在网上发布“虐猫定制”并拍下残忍虐猫视频，进行贩卖获利。护猫团体监控发现，中国的虐猫视频数量在过去一年内竟然翻了5倍，至少300只猫受害，这与中国对于虐待动物的法律责任缺乏，以及网络防火墙严格监管政治与情色内容，但对虐猫视频相对放任有关。这些虐猫视频甚至还会出现在YouTube或脸书上，导致儿童与青少年也能轻易看到。

• 猫奴 (māo nú): cat slave / cat lover (someone obsessed with cats)

• 热衷 (rè zhōng): to be passionate about / keen on

• 虐猫 (nüè māo): to abuse/torture cats

• 残忍 (cán rěn): cruel / brutal

• 网络防火墙 (wǎng luò fáng huǒ qiáng): internet firewall

Cats are important members of many families. Taking care of their health, or even taking them to international competitions, is a passionate activity for many cat lovers. However, at the same time, cat abuse networks are quietly forming online.

Some people adopt cats and then post "custom cat abuse" requests online, filming cruel abuse videos to sell for profit. Cat protection groups have found that the number of cat abuse videos in China has increased fivefold over the past year, with at least 300 cats falling victim. This is linked to a lack of legal accountability for animal abuse in China and the fact that the Great Firewall strictly monitors political and explicit content, while abuse videos are relatively unchecked. These videos even appear on platforms like YouTube and Facebook, making them easily accessible to children and teenagers.

交“投名状”进群、接收虐猫“定制”……活跃的虐猫群里，虐杀手段千奇百怪，面对凄惨死状的动物，虐杀者报以嘲笑讥讽口吻，群友们纷纷点赞欢呼。

虐猫背后的黑色产业链令人胆战心惊。施虐者丝毫没有对生命的敬畏，通过虐杀来获得所谓的“快感”和“认同感”。专家认为，这是一种“病态”，一种“畸形的兴奋和满足”。

• 投名状 (tóu míng zhuàng): token of loyalty (originally a historic term for proving allegiance)

• 活跃 (huó yuè): active / lively

• 千奇百怪 (qiān qí bǎi guài): all kinds of strange and unusual / bizarre

• 凄惨死状 (qī cǎn sǐ zhuàng): tragic and miserable death scene

• 嘲笑讥讽口吻 (cháo xiào jī fěng kǒu wěn): mocking and sarcastic tone

• 黑色产业链 (hēi sè chǎn yè liàn): black (illegal/underground) industrial chain

• 敬畏 (jìng wèi): to respect and fear / awe

• 畸形 (jī xíng): malformed / abnormal / deformed

Entering abusive groups by providing “proof of allegiance,” fulfilling custom orders for abuse… The active cat abuse groups feature a wide variety of cruel methods. Members mock and ridicule the tortured animals’ gruesome deaths, with group participants cheering and praising the acts.

The black market industry chain behind cat abuse is shocking. Perpetrators show no respect for life, deriving a so-called “pleasure” and “sense of belonging” through their actions. Experts consider this behavior a form of pathology, describing it as “distorted excitement and satisfaction.”

伴随着猫的惨叫，虐猫者发出“咯咯咯”的笑声，群友们纷纷发出点赞的文字和表情——这是虐猫群里常见的一幕。

用化学试剂虐杀猫，将猫放进微波炉，甚至有群友分享“如何让猫死亡后脸部呈现微笑状”……虐待的方式千奇百怪，手段越残忍，欢呼声越大。整个群里充斥虐杀和教唆虐杀的气息。

• 微波炉 (wēi bō lú): microwave oven

• 呈现 (chéng xiàn): to present / to appear / to emerge

• 充斥 (chōng chì): to be full of / to be flooded with (usually negative connotation)

• 教唆 (jiào suō): to incite / to instigate / to abet

Amid the cries of tortured cats, abusers laugh heartily while group members flood the chat with likes and emojis — a typical scene in these abuse groups.

Using chemical agents to kill cats, microwaving them alive, and even sharing methods to make a dead cat’s face appear as though it’s smiling — the methods of torture are varied and horrifying. The crueler the act, the louder the applause in the group, which is permeated with a culture of abuse and encouragement of violence.

“群里消息很多，一不留神，就显示有999+条未读消息。”北京姑娘潇潇（化名）是反虐志愿者，有十多年救助动物、卧底虐猫群的经历，她至今对虐猫群体的心理感到匪夷所思。

“他们往往并不满足于‘致死’，而是会采取一切残忍的手段，尽可能让猫死得慢，拉长它们的痛苦时间。动物越痛苦，他们越快乐，然后将所谓的‘成就感’分享给群友们”。潇潇说。

• 化名 (huà míng): alias / pseudonym

• 志愿者 (zhì yuàn zhě): volunteer

• 卧底 (wò dǐ): undercover agent / infiltrator

• 匪夷所思 (fěi yí suǒ sī): unimaginable / incredible / beyond comprehension

"Messages in the group are overwhelming; if you're not careful, there will be over 999+ unread messages," said Xiao Xiao (alias), a Beijing-based anti-abuse volunteer with more than a decade of experience rescuing animals and infiltrating cat abuse groups. She remains baffled by the mindset of the cat abuse community.

"They are often not satisfied with just 'killing.' They use every cruel method possible to prolong the animal's suffering. The more pain the animal endures, the more joy they derive, and they then share their so-called 'sense of achievement' with the group members," Xiao Xiao said.

时至今日，我国尚未出台一套完整的动物保护法律法规，规定如何惩治施虐者。

但是，立法是一个长期过程，需要循序渐进，而非一蹴而就。不过，在系统完整的动物保护法出现之前，反虐待动物真的“无法可依”吗？除了道德谴责，公众真的别无他法吗？

• 惩治 (chéng zhì): to punish / to crack down on

• 循序渐进 (xún xù jiàn jìn): proceed step by step / progress gradually

• 一蹴而就 (yī cù ér jiù): to achieve success in one step / accomplish at a stroke

• 无法可依 (wú fǎ kě yī): no law to abide by / lawless situation

• 道德谴责 (dào dé qiǎn zé): moral condemnation

To date, China has not enacted a comprehensive animal protection law system that clearly stipulates how to punish abusers.

But legislation is a long-term, gradual process, not done overnight. Before a complete animal protection law appears, does that mean there is really “no law to rely on”? Is the public powerless besides moral condemnation?

“每当有虐待动物的事件发生，几乎都会出现全民谴责，然后呼吁出台法律。但必须强调，这反而容易给大众，尤其是虐待动物的群体一种‘我们没有保护动物的法律’的错觉，让虐待动物群体更加肆无忌惮。”钱叶芳表示，其实事实并非如此。虽然国内目前并没有任何一起虐待动物事件受到过刑事处罚，但并不意味着惩治虐杀者，无法可依。

• 错觉 (cuò jué): illusion / misconception

• 肆无忌惮 (sì wú jì dàn): unbridled / unrestrained / unscrupulous

• 处罚 (chǔ fá): punishment / penalty

“Whenever animal abuse occurs, public condemnation and calls for laws follow. But this creates a misconception, especially among abusers, that there is ‘no law protecting animals,’ making them more reckless,” Qian Yefang said. The truth is otherwise. Although no case has received criminal punishment so far, it does not mean there is no legal basis to punish abusers.

她表示，目前动物保护相关法律法规的确没有形成完整的体系，法律责任也不够严明，但是至少暴力虐待动物、传播虐待动物的暴力信息是明确的违法行为，有法可依、可处罚。如《野生动物保护法》《畜牧法》《实验动物管理条例》《网络表演经营活动管理办法》等相关条文都对动物虐待行为进行了否定，并或轻或重设计了法律责任。

同时，虐待动物扰乱社会治安、传播虐待动物暴力信息的行为，均可依据《治安管理处罚法》《未成年人保护法》《网络安全法》等法的相关条文予以禁止。

• 严明 (yán míng): strict and clear / rigorous

• 或轻或重 (huò qīng huò zhòng): either light or severe / varying in severity

• 扰乱 (rǎo luàn): to disturb / to disrupt

• 社会治安 (shè huì zhì ān): public security / law and order

• 均可依据 (jūn kě yī jù): all can be based on / all may rely upon

She pointed out that current animal protection laws are incomplete and penalties unclear but that violent animal abuse and spreading violent animal abuse content are clearly illegal and punishable. Laws such as the Wildlife Protection Law, Animal Husbandry Law, Laboratory Animal Management Regulations, and Network Performance Operation Management Measures all prohibit animal abuse and define legal responsibilities to varying degrees.

Moreover, abusing animals disrupts public order, and spreading violent content about abuse can be prohibited under the Public Security Administration Punishment Law, Minor Protection Law, and Cybersecurity Law.

Have you heard about this troubling issue before?

If you come across one of these cat abuse videos, there are several organizations you can report it to, such as the Asia for Animals Coalition, for example.

Antoine & Dorota