In May 2026, an old man took the cat he had raised for eight years across the city by car in Haikou, Hainan. Multiple media reported that the driver refused to let the cat enter the car and put the cat in the trunk, which eventually led to the cat's death due to lack of oxygen. Afterwards, the person involved said that the driver left the scene and blocked his contact information, and his family members called the police.

A cat that has been with me for 8 years

Global Network, South China Morning Post and other media reported that in May 2026, an old man in Hainan took his cat that he had raised for eight years from Dongfang City to Haikou. For the elderly, this cat is not a temporary item, but a member who has been with them for many years and has entered family life.

What was originally an ordinary trip across the city turned into a tragedy when the driver placed the cat. According to public reports, the family members said that the old man had hoped that the cat could be placed in the front seat or on his lap, and was even willing to pay more, but the driver refused. The driver said in the report that many pets had been put in the trunk without incident.

Death after being put in trunk

A related Sina News page summarized that an old man in Haikou took a cat with him for eight years to take a taxi. The driver forcibly put the cat in the trunk, causing the cat to die from lack of oxygen. A report reprinted by Global Network also stated that the cat died after being stuffed into the trunk. Afterwards, the driver left the scene and blocked his contact information.

The current public information mainly comes from media reports and the statements of the parties involved, and the final conclusion of the police investigation has not yet been reached. Therefore, when recording on this website, we use expressions such as "media reports said", "party said", "suspected death due to lack of oxygen". But no matter how the subsequent responsibility is determined, putting a live animal into a trunk that is not suitable for ventilation and observation already shows a disregard for the state of life.

Driver’s Statement and Calling the Police

Public reports mentioned that the driver once said that "there were many pets in the trunk without any incident." This sentence itself exactly illustrates the problem: pets are not luggage. Animals will be fearful, stressed, and hypoxic in closed, high-temperature, bumpy, and unfamiliar environments. You cannot regard danger as a reasonable arrangement just because there have been no accidents in the past.

Media reports stated that the driver left the scene and blocked the owner’s contact information. The text in the relevant video screenshots shows that the elderly family member said that "the police have been called." As of the time of compilation of this article, the results of the police handling or the identification of platform responsibility have not been seen in public information.

Why can’t pets be used as luggage?

The incident sparked outrage, not just because the cat died, but because its death was avoidable. Drivers and passengers can negotiate whether to carry pets, whether to increase fares, and whether to change vehicles; but when an animal is already in the car, the most basic requirement is to keep it in an environment that can be ventilated, observed, and can handle abnormalities in a timely manner.

For the old man, this cat has been with her for 8 years. Its death was not a "loss" in a transportation dispute, but a sudden break in the companionship relationship. This incident is recorded to remind more people: animals are not goods that cannot breathe, fear, or suffer.

timeline

• May 2026：An old man in Hainan took his cat of eight years from Dongfang City to Haikou, taking a private carpool or ride-hailing vehicle.
• en route：According to family and media reports, the driver refused to let the cat into the car and put the cat in the trunk.
• After arrival：The cat was found dead, and public reports mostly stated that it was suspected of death due to lack of oxygen.
• May 22-23, 2026：The report was forwarded on Global Network, Nanguo Morning Post, Rule of Law, Weibo Hot Search and other platforms, attracting public attention.
• Follow-up：The person involved said that he had called the police; as of the time of compilation of this article, there is no final result in the public information.

source

• Global Network: "An old man's cat that he had raised for 8 years was forced to put in the trunk by a driver, and it suffocated to death due to lack of oxygen!" The driver took advantage of the chaos and left and blocked his contact information》。Provides the basic story of the incident, the cat’s companionship for 8 years, the driver’s departure and blocked contact information, etc.
• Sina News Aggregation Page: "Driver suffocates kitten to death and then runs away"。Provide summary information such as the incident title, location, driver forcibly putting the cat in the trunk, death due to lack of oxygen, etc.
• Weibo hot search aggregation page。Including forwarding records and video screenshots on platforms such as Legal Progress, Jimu News, Poster News, and Zhuhai Special Economic Zone News.