Paws and order: Thai man abuses 3 cats after row with boyfriend
Police charged a Thai man in the Isaan province of Sakon Nakhon with physically abusing three pet cats after videos and pictures of the abuse were shared in a Facebook group of animal lovers.
A man shared the videos and pictures of his ex-boyfriend strangling their pet cats and throwing them against the wall of a condominium room in a Facebook group แจกหมาแมวฟรี สกลนคร (meaning “cats and dogs for free”). In one video, the attacker was seen abusing one of the cats while imagining he’s talking to his ex-boyfriend.
“You love this one the most, right?”
The man asked members of the group whether he could take legal action against his ex-boyfriend. The post gained significant attention from netizens and quickly went viral, drawing coverage from various news agencies.
The man later revealed to one netizen that he clashed with his ex-boyfriend over a jealousy issue. Following their breakup, the ex-boyfriend requested custody of all the cats they had cared for together. However, the ex-boyfriend later sent him pictures and videos of the cruelty and threatened to kill the animals.
Officers from Mueang Sakon Nakhon Police Station visited the residence of the attacker, identified as 41 year old Taenkhun, today, December 12, and charged him with animal abuse. Under Section 381 of the Criminal Law, the penalty for such an offence is up to one month in prison, a fine of up to 10,000 baht, or both.
Taenkhun agreed to take the cats for health checks, which confirmed that all three were safe and healthy.
Taenkhun issued a public apology to animal lovers, attributing his violent actions to a moment of anger. He claimed his actions were an attempt to gain attention from his ex-boyfriend.
He vowed never to harm the cats again and announced plans to rename them from Dummy, Charcoal, and Tao Hoo to the new names as a symbolic gesture marking a fresh start. He even invited netizens to suggest new names for the three cats.
Taenkhun also stated that he would comply fully with legal proceedings and described the incident as a significant lesson for him.
In a related case reported in May, a Thai woman physically assaulted her girlfriend before killing the girlfriend’s beloved cat by throwing it from the 21st floor of a condominium in Pattaya. The suspect claimed the cat had jumped off the balcony due to the noise of an argument between her and her girlfriend.
