Man who tortured, stabbed multiple cats gets 31 months’ jail in record sentence for animal abuse

Tan also approached a white cat and attempted to play with it, but stabbed it once in the back when it did not respond to him.

After the cat ran away, Tan searched for it as he was unsure if the stabbing had injured it and wanted to do so again to be sure. Finding the cat, he stabbed it once more in the back.

His attack on the white cat was captured on closed circuit television (CCTV) footage.

Later, Tan cycled to Block 12 Lorong 7 Toa Payoh, where he chanced upon an orange cat. 

He moved to stab it, but stopped when he heard a man shouting at him. Tan cycled away and discarded the knife in a dustbin.

On Oct 6, 2024, Tan noticed another orange cat at Block 78 Lorong Limau when he was making food deliveries in the area. The next day, he returned to the block at around 2am to search for the cat, wearing a hooded sweatshirt and mask to avoid recognition. 

At 3.48am on Oct 7, he picked up the cat and brought it into the lift. Inside, he lifted the cat high above his head before flinging it down with considerable force. 

Tan then kicked and stomped on the cat multiple times in a “frenzied” manner, according to court filings. The cat attempted to run in circles in the lift to avoid the blows but was unsuccessful. The violence lasted about 1 minute and 20 seconds. 

By the time the lift stopped at the 34th floor, the cat was not moving, though still alive. 

Tan picked it up by its tail, exited the lift and threw the cat over the parapet. He then went downstairs to check if it was dead, but could not find it, and left. 

Tan’s actions in the lift were captured on CCTV. When he returned home, he searched up whether he could be recognised in the footage if he had a mask on. 

He was arrested at his home later that day. He was charged and released on bail on Oct 30.