This shocking footage seen 10 million times in 24 hours shows a woman slamming her kitten on a pet shop floor and then stepping on its head after she was refused a refund.
The incident happened in the city of Jilin, which is in north-eastern China’s Jilin Province, on 19th November.
According to the unnamed pet shop owner, the female customer had recently purchased a kitten from her but showed up again on 14th November saying the cat had run away.
Video Credit: AsiaWire
She wanted to buy another, but the shopkeeper urged her to keep looking, according to her statement to local media.
The customer returned the following day again insisting she wanted another of the same breed, which appears to be a Russian blue.
She was sold another kitten but four days later returned asking for a refund, saying she had found her first cat.
When her request was declined, she then requested she be reimbursed with a bed, climbing tree or cat food – all of which was turned down.
Video from the shop then shows the angry customer plucking the meowing cat out of a bag and slamming it on the floor, stamping on the injured kitten as it struggles to stand back up.
The horrific scenes happened before police arrived to mediate the dispute.
The shopkeeper told local media that she elected not to press charges after the customer apologised for her actions and in the end promised to take care of both her cats.
The kitten is reportedly healthy and not in any life-threatening condition.
In a public apology online she said she “deeply regretted” her actions, which she attributed to “a moment of anger”.
She promised to send regular updates about the kittens to the pet shop to show she was truly sorry and ready to care for the animals.
The pet shop revealed each of the kittens was sold for 1,000 RMB (110 GBP), but pedigree Russian blues can be worth between 350 to over 1,000 GBP.
China’s lack of laws protecting small animals such as dogs and cats means pet owners often go unpunished despite proven to have grossly mistreated, abused or even killed their pets.
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Story By: John Feng, Sub-Editor: Joseph Golder, Agency: Asia Wire Report
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