Japanese police arrested a man aged 59 who allegedly forced his cat to swim in a tub. He was taken into custody by Aichi Prefecture Police last Wednesday, October 20th.
Masatoshi, currently unemployed, posted a photo of his kitten and a video showing him forcing the kitten to swim via social media in June 2020. The video’s length was of 1 minute, 29 seconds. Investigators determined that the act was a violation of animal protection laws because cats don’t like water, and it seemed like he was forcing the cat to swim. Hosono, however, denied that his behavior was abusive.
Police launched an investigation into Hosono after someone saw his posts on social media and reported him to Aichi police in Oct 2020. A group representing animal welfare also called for urged for criminal charges against the perpetrator.
Hosono, who lived in Aichi’s capital Nagoya when he posted the alleged abuse video, told investigators the cat was in care with his friend during that time. His present residence is in Toride, Ibaraki Prefecture.
Source: Worldofbuzz, Kyodo news
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