SINGAPORE: A man who abused six cats, causing the death of two, was sentenced on Friday (Apr 10) to 31 months’ jail and disqualified from owning any animal for the maximum period of 12 months upon his release. 

According to court documents, Tan Yi Bin Ryan was arrested in October 2024 after he abused five cats, including torturing an orange domestic shorthair cat before throwing it down from the 34th floor of a Housing and Development Board (HDB) block. 

The 27-year-old was charged and released on bail on Oct 30, 2024, but later reoffended in March last year by torturing another feline, which had to be put down due to the extent of its injuries. 

Tan pleaded guilty to three charges of animal cruelty, with the remaining three charges taken into consideration. 

His conviction is the highest sentencing to date for a case involving animal cruelty, the National Parks Board (NParks) said in a statement on Friday.

STABBINGS AND TORTURE 

Tan, who was a food delivery rider at the time of the offences, began seeking out community cats to play with, as he was experiencing relationship issues with his then-girlfriend around July and August 2024.

However, some cats ignored him, and one scratched him, causing Tan to decide to teach the cats who were not receptive to him a lesson.

From Sep 16 to Sep 20, he searched online on how to torture cats, eventually deciding on stabbing as his preferred method. According to court documents, he researched where to stab a cat so he could inflict enough injury to “teach the cat a lesson” but not kill it. 

He also searched for information on the likely penalties for killing a cat.

Tan purchased a 10cm foldable knife and used it to stab a ginger and white domestic shorthair on Sep 21, 2024. 

The next day, he went to Block 36 Lorong 5 Toa...