Woman Kills Kitten Litter at Shenyang Cat‑Café, Sparking Outrage and Calls for China’s First Anti‑Animal‑Cruelty Law

On August 2, the woman booked a private “milk‑cat” room at a cat‑café in Shenyang, Liaoning province. The café, which offers a secluded space for patrons to interact with its resident felines, initially left the customer alone in the room to protect her privacy, according to the owner, Ms. Wang, who is also the establishment’s legal representative.

Surveillance footage later revealed a far darker scene. In the minutes after the door was closed, the woman can be seen repeatedly striking and hurling several kittens across the room. Four of the kittens—Golden British Shorthairs valued at more than 4,000 yuan each—died on the spot, while two others required emergency veterinary care that has already cost the café over 10,000 yuan. Staff intervened only after the abuse was captured on the café’s monitors; they stopped the woman, asked her to leave, and refunded her payment.

Ms. Wang reported the incident to the local police, who have taken the case under the “damage to property” provision because China currently lacks a dedicated anti‑animal‑cruelty statute. The police have advised the café to sue the woman for property damage, a recommendation that has only heightened public frustration. Many netizens argue that treating the killing of sentient animals as a mere property dispute is a legal loophole that fails to address the moral gravity of the act.

The woman’s defense has shifted repeatedly. She first claimed she was retaliating after a cat scratched her, a justification that the surveillance footage disproved—showing the abuse occurred before any alleged scratch. Later, she told investigators she was simply “in a bad mood.” The inconsistency has only deepened the perception that she is manipulative and callous.

Social media users on Weibo have flooded the platform with condemnation, calling for both legal and social accountability. One commentator lamented the absence of a specific “anti‑animal‑cruelty law” in China, urging legislators to close the gap. Others warned that cruelty toward animals can be a warning sign of broader psychological problems, suggesting that a person capable of harming a kitten might one day harm a human. Many demanded that the woman be made to compensate the café and that the incident be publicized among her family, friends, and former employers—some of whom have already blacklisted her after earlier reports of similar misconduct at another cat‑café.

The public’s emotional response is palpable. Users expressed relief that the perpetrator has been arrested, but also deep concern for the surviving kittens, whose recovery remains uncertain. The incident has become a flashpoint for a larger conversation about animal welfare in China, with calls for stricter penalties and a dedicated animal‑protection law growing louder.

In the meantime, Ms. Wang has vowed to pursue justice, even recounting how she tore up her own legal documents in frustration before re‑filing the case. Her determination, combined with the viral spread of the story, has turned a local tragedy into a national debate about the value of animal life and the responsibilities of a society that claims to protect it.