Hangzhou He Run Tian serial animal cruelty case
| Person of Interest | |
|---|---|
|
| |
| Name | He Runtian (何润田) |
| Age | Minor (under 18) |
| Occupation | Student |
| Known Identifiers | Public (name and phone number circulated by activists) |
| Status | Admonished by police |
| Involvement | Organizer of a group of minors involved in the hunting, torture, and killing of cats; poisoning of public cat feeders; and online distribution of animal cruelty videos. |
| Punitive Measure | Repeatedly warned by Hangzhou police; guardians notified and a guarantee letter was signed. Referred for psychological intervention. |
He Runtian (何润田) is a minor residing in the Shangcheng District of Hangzhou, China, who became the subject of a public outcry in September 2025 for organizing and participating in the systematic torture and killing of cats.[1] He, along with other underage accomplices, is accused of filming these acts of cruelty for distribution on social media platforms like Douyin and in private QQ groups. Despite multiple interventions by local police, his activities have reportedly continued, escalating to include the poisoning of public cat feeders.[1]
Alleged criminal activities
According to information circulated by animal welfare activists and corroborated in part by police statements, He Runtian's activities include several distinct patterns of abuse and public endangerment.
Group attacks and torture
He Runtian is alleged to have organized groups of other minors to hunt and kill small cats in public spaces within his community.[1] The group reportedly used weapons, including knives and slingshots, to corner and injure the animals before torturing them to death by kicking, stomping, and bludgeoning them with rocks. These entire events were filmed for entertainment and distribution.[1]
Poisoning incident
At approximately 00:20 on September 6, 2025, He Runtian allegedly placed a toxic white powder inside a public "street cat" automatic feeder located at Building 39 of the Fuxing Nanyuan residential complex in Shangcheng District.[1] He later reportedly bragged about the poisoning in a QQ group. Activists have also alleged that he has created and shared videos on Douyin demonstrating how to prepare poison for cats, and that surveillance footage from the feeder captured three cats consuming the tainted food.[1]
Online activities
A significant aspect of He's activities was the online dissemination of his acts. He is accused of uploading videos of the cat killings to Douyin and sharing them in a dedicated animal abuse QQ group with over 300 members.[1] Activists also claim he used these platforms to purchase and show off controlled knives and to instruct others on how to poison cats.[1]
Police response and perpetrator status
According to a recorded phone call with the Nanxing Police Station on September 7, 2025, police confirmed that they had "handled" He Runtian on the previous day.[1] An officer stated that because He Runtian is a **minor**, their actions were limited. The police have issued a formal "education admonition" to him, spoken with his legal guardians, and had them sign a promise letter guaranteeing his future behavior.[1] This was reportedly not the first time he had been warned by the Ziyang Police Station, and he had violated a previously signed guarantee letter.[1]
The police officer confirmed that they had notified the local community administration to arrange for psychological intervention for He Runtian and would also inform his school of the situation.[1]
Voice-to-text transcript from videos
The following is a transcript of dialogue from two videos allegedly filmed and distributed by He Runtian and his accomplices. The dialogue demonstrates the perpetrators' gleeful and sadistic attitude during the torture of a cat.
| Timeline | Original Dialogue (Chinese/English) | English Translation |
|---|---|---|
| 00:51 | 中了 | Hit! |
| 01:15 | 踹, 踹它, 踹它, 踹它呗 | Kick, kick it, kick it, just kick it! |
| 01:40 | 你快过去踹, 快过去踹 | Go kick it now, go kick it now! |
| 01:47 | 踩它, 直接踩它骨头 | Stomp it, stomp directly on its bones. |
| 01:57 | 你敢哈气啊 | How dare you hiss at me? |
| 02:05 | 让你哈气 | I'll teach you to hiss. |
| 02:12 | 何润田, 整个人已经没救了 | He Runtian, this guy is a lost cause. |
| 02:16 | 拿刀 | Get the knife. |
| 02:33 | 找石头, 找石头 | Find a rock, find a rock. |
| 02:47 | 天助我也 | God is helping me. |
| 02:52 | 跑不掉, 跑不掉, 我控制着 | Can't run, can't run, I have it under control. |
| 02:59 | 捡块大的石头, 快 | Get a big rock, hurry! |
| 03:08 | 妈呀, 我两脚还不死 | Damn, two kicks and it's still not dead? |
| 03:11 | 这什么猫啊, 神猫吗 | What kind of cat is this, a god-cat? |
| 03:52 | 小猫别怕 | Little cat, don't be afraid. |
| 04:06 | 捅它一刀怎么样 | How about stabbing it? |
| 04:08 | 别捅, 别捅, 不用捅 | Don't stab it, don't stab, no need to stab. |
| 04:10 | 我想折磨他 | I want to torture him. |
| 04:11 | 折磨 | Torture. |
| 00:27 | 罩住, 罩住, 罩住了吗 | Cover it, cover it, is it covered? |
| 00:29 | 好像死了 | Looks like it's dead. |
| 00:31 | 娘的, 吃我死神镰刀 | Motherfucker, eat my death scythe! |
| 00:36 | 死, 我靠 | Die, holy shit. |
| 00:52 | 把刀擦干净了 | Wipe the knife clean. |
| 00:53 | 操、操、操 (猛砍声) | Fuck, fuck, fuck! (Sounds of vicious chopping) |