In May 2022, a ginger stray cat known online as “Jipai” died in a residential community near Meilan Lake, Baoshan District, Shanghai. The cat had become known after being photographed stealing Dicos fried chicken. Multiple Chinese media reports said residents believed the cat had been killed by a tenant; residents reported the incident to police, and Baoshan police said the matter was under investigation. Reports also recorded the tenant’s explanation that the cat had injured his dog and a security guard. Jipai had reportedly already found a prospective adopter, but lockdown restrictions delayed the handover.

A stray cat briefly seen and remembered

Jipai was a ginger stray cat living around a residential community near Meilan Lake in Shanghai’s Baoshan District. After it was photographed taking fried chicken, residents and internet users began calling it “Little Jipai.”

That visibility did not give it reliable protection. Media reports said residents had arranged an adopter, but pandemic lockdowns delayed the health check and handover.

What residents reported

According to reports by The Paper and Shanghai-based outlets, on May 23, 2022, residents said the viral stray cat was suspected of having been killed by a tenant.

Some residents said a man used a dog leash around the cat’s neck, swung it and threw it to the ground before leaving it in grass near the community. These details are recorded as resident and witness accounts carried by media reports, not as a police-confirmed finding.

The tenant’s explanation and police response

Reports also recorded the tenant’s explanation: he said the cat had rushed out, scratched his dog, and injured a security guard during capture, so he acted to prevent further harm.

That explanation does not erase the outcome: a stray cat waiting for adoption died. On May 24, residents had reported the matter to police, and Baoshan police told media that the case was under investigation.

A small grave left by residents

A resident told media that she initially hoped the cat had only fainted, but when she touched it, the body was already stiff. Residents later buried Jipai on a quiet green slope inside the community.

It was not a legal judgment or a formal monument. It was what residents could still do: give a name and a place to a small life that had not been protected in time.

Why Jipai is recorded

Jipai’s death hurt people not only because the cat had briefly become famous. It also showed how fragile stray animals remain in urban spaces: liked enough to become a topic, but often unprotected when harmed.

Concerns about stray cats, dogs or sanitation should be handled through restraint, property management, rescue, neutering and adoption. Violence against a vulnerable animal should not be excused as a convenient form of “handling.”

Timeline

• Before May 2022: Jipai became known online after being photographed taking Dicos fried chicken.
• May 23, 2022: Residents and social-media posts said Jipai was suspected of being killed by a tenant.
• May 24, 2022: Media reported that residents had called police; Baoshan police said the matter was under investigation.
• Later: Residents buried Jipai on a green slope in the community; reports and reposts remained online.

Public Sources

This article is based on CCTV’s republication of The Paper, Shanghai outlet reports republished by Sohu, Tencent/Beiqing coverage, and a Sina-preserved Weibo post. Specific harm details are attributed to residents and witnesses as reported by media; the police-confirmed fact is that residents reported the matter and police were investigating.

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