Someone is killing stray cats with steel darts in China. They might go unpunished

China is witnessing horrific violent crimes against cats, with several of them being found dead or injured in the past few weeks. People say they have found felines shot with steel darts. Zhejiang TV reported that a stray was found in a Qinqin Home, in Hangzhou, on August 13 with 10 steel darts embedded in its head, chest and back.

Residents knew the cat and had even got it vaccinated. Upon discovering it in such a state, they rushed it to a hospital but it did not survive.

A day later, two more felines were found in a similar state, shot with a bunch of steel darts, One of them was merely a two-month-old kitten and weighed less than one kilo. It had injuries on its head and chest. It was operated upon and is alive.

Another cat was found with a dart in its tail. The dart was removed surgically,and the cat is in a stable condition.

A decomposing cat corpse was also found with one dart in its body. People in the area are furious to see such inhumane acts being committed against felines and are calling for action by higher officials.

People demand action

“We are afraid more cats will be hurt, and what if he shoots humans one day? The offender must be punished for the sake of those innocent animals and the safety of the local community,” said a Zhejiang-based blogger, who rescues stray animals.

People who live in the area believe someone is firing the darts by blowing something. “Shooting stray cats with darts is unforgivable. I am furious. I want to find whoever did this and report them to the police,” a resident said.

According to Zhejiang TV, a 20-year-old suspect is in custody in connection with the cruel acts. The man is reportedly the son of a state-owned shipping company executive and might be able to evade any kind of punishment.

This is because stray cats are not protected by the country’s Anti Animal Abuse Law. Instead, they are categorised as merely feral under the China Wild Animals Protection Law.