Chengdu man brutally injures and abandons ragdoll cat
| Case Details | |
|---|---|
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| Key Details | |
| Location | Chengdu, Sichuan, China |
| Species Involved | Cats |
| Type of Abuse | Physical harm/Abandonment |
| Timeline | |
| Date of Incident | July 26, 2025 |
| Date Discovered | July 26, 2025 |
| Date Closed | August 1, 2025 |
| Status & Outcome | |
| Case Status | Closed |
| Perpetrator | Luo Wei Xin (罗伟鑫) |
| Aftermath | Triggered public anger and donations for animal rescue; reignited debate on the need for legal protection of companion animals in China. |
| Person of Interest | |
|---|---|
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| Name | Luo Wei Xin (罗伟鑫) |
| Age | Allegedly in his twenties (at time of incident) |
| Occupation | Private sector employee |
| Known Identifiers | — |
| Status | Person of Interest |
| Involvement | Repeatedly struck the cat with a blade, causing rib fractures and internal injuries, then abandoned it. |
| Punitive Measure | Received official criticism and was required to sign a written pledge promising no further harm to animals. |
On July 26, 2025, a severely injured Ragdoll cat was discovered abandoned in a cardboard box in a residential community in Chengdu, Sichuan, sparking a community-led rescue effort and a police investigation.[1] The perpetrator was later identified by police as the cat's owner, who admitted to stabbing the animal.[1] The man was subsequently "criticized and educated" by the authorities and required to write a letter of guarantee.[1]
Discovery and rescue
On the morning of July 26, 2025, at approximately 8:00 AM, a Chengdu resident identified as Ms. Zhang was walking her dog when she discovered a Ragdoll cat lying in a cardboard box next to a trash can near Building 18 of her residential complex.[1] The cat was wet from the previous day's rain, and Ms. Zhang initially suspected it had been hit by a car.[1] She immediately contacted a veterinary hospital and transported the injured cat for emergency medical care.[1]
Medical condition and treatment
Upon examination, veterinarians determined the cat's injuries were likely caused by a knife.[1] The two-year-old male Ragdoll was diagnosed with multiple severe injuries, including suspected knife wounds across its body, broken ribs, liver and lung damage, multiple open fractures on its right hind limb, and a metacarpal fracture on its right forelimb.[1]
- The cat inside the critical care medical cabin.
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After its condition was stabilized with a blood transfusion, the cat underwent surgery, which included the amputation of its right hind limb and sutures for its numerous wounds.[1] When a reporter from Cover News visited the hospital on July 31, the cat was still in an intensive care unit and had not fully passed the critical period.[1] The attending veterinarian, Dr. Li Junqin, noted that the cat was in a state of stress and trauma and was now extremely distrustful of humans.[1]
Community response
After Ms. Zhang posted a video of the cat on her social media, a community rescue effort quickly formed.[1] According to one participant, a WeChat group was established to coordinate the rescue, and a crowdfunding campaign was launched online to cover the cat's medical expenses.[1] The campaign successfully raised ¥5,635, with total treatment costs estimated to exceed ¥6,000.[1]
Investigation and outcome
After taking the cat to the hospital, Ms. Zhang and other rescuers reviewed the community's surveillance footage and reported the case to the local police.[1] The video showed a man placing the cardboard box by the trash can at around 2:00 AM on the night of the discovery.[1]
After a two-day investigation, police informed Ms. Zhang that they had identified the man, who was the cat's owner.[1] The owner confessed, stating that the Ragdoll cat had attacked him earlier while he was trying to cage some other kittens he owned, which provoked him to stab it with a knife.[1] The police subjected the man to "criticism and education" and required him to write a letter of guarantee.[1] When contacted by a reporter, the police station declined to provide further details on the investigation, citing that the reporter was not the one who filed the initial report.[1]
Legal analysis
Regarding the legality of abusing one's own pet, Beijing Anbo (Chengdu) Law Firm lawyer Li Mengxue stated that under current Chinese criminal law, there is no explicit statute making it a crime to inflict violence on one's own pet.[1] However, such an act violates public order and good customs and is subject to moral condemnation.[1] The lawyer added that if one were to publicly abuse a pet or distribute videos of the abuse, causing a negative social impact, the act could be identified as "creating a disturbance" (寻衅滋事), which could lead to detention or fines under the Public Security Administration Punishment Law.[1]
Online discussions on motive and background
The incident sparked widespread discussion in the comments section of the 封面新闻 Weibo post, with many users analyzing the perpetrator's potential motives and background based on the details in the news report.[2]
- Suspicions of Commercial Breeding: A dominant theory among commenters was that the man was a backyard breeder selling cats for profit.[2] Users 撸君kazekaoru and 唐老鸭 lass both speculated that the presence of a pedigree cat (the Ragdoll) alongside several kittens indicated a commercial operation.[2] This was echoed by user 玺傲风十月, who suggested the cat was likely just a "breeding tool," a sentiment with which user 水仙乘个鲤鱼 agreed.[2]
- Maternal Aggression Theory: Several users theorized that the cat's aggression was a natural maternal instinct to protect her young.[2] User 水晶菜菜子 pointed out that separating a mother cat from her kittens by caging them, as the owner claimed he was doing, demonstrates a severe lack of basic pet-rearing knowledge and would predictably provoke a protective mother.[2] Similarly, user 玺傲风十月 speculated that if the Ragdoll was the mother, her attack was likely an act of defense for her kittens.[2]
- Criticism of Police Action: The official police response was also a subject of criticism.[2] User 水晶菜菜子 remarked that having the man write a letter of guarantee was a "childish and laughable" punishment, comparing it to playing house.[2]
- Doxing Attempt: The comment section also contained an unverified doxing attempt. User 水仙乘个鲤鱼 alleged the abuser was a man from the Northeast China named Luo Wei Xin (罗伟鑫) and provided an address and other information about the perpetrator.[2]
References
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 1.16 1.17 1.18 1.19 1.20 1.21 1.22 (2025-08-01). "男子被曝当街砍伤布偶猫后遗弃，知情人：猫咪已送医 (Man exposed for hacking and injuring a ragdoll cat in the street and then abandoning it, insider: cat has been sent to the vet)", Tencent News (腾讯新闻). Retrieved 2025-08-03from https://news.qq.com/rain/a/20250801A09A8000
- ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 (2025-08-01). "Comment section for 封面新闻 report on Chengdu cat abuse incident", Weibo. Retrieved 2025-08-03from https://weibo.com/1496814565/5195215845724418