On the morning of May 26, 2023, outside a pet shop near Huabai Road in Zhongshan East District, Guangdong, a boy entered a fenced area, took a one-month-old kitten from a cage, repeatedly swung it and threw it to the ground. Staff later found the kitten dead. Reports said the kitten was one of five born to a stray mother cat from the neighborhood, and the pet shop had been caring for the family in a cage by the entrance.

A one-month-old kitten died outside a pet shop

GMW reposted Guangdong TV's Today Focus report: on the morning of May 26, a boy outside a Zhongshan pet shop took a one-month-old kitten from a cage, kept swinging it and later threw it to the ground, causing death.

Surveillance footage showed two boys, around seven or eight years old, arriving outside the shop after 11 a.m. One stayed outside the fence while the boy in red entered, picked up the kitten and swung it before throwing it down.

The kitten was one of a litter being cared for

On May 27, reporters saw five cats at the shop entrance: one mother cat and four kittens. Staff said the mother was a neighborhood stray fed by the shop; a month earlier she brought her five kittens to the shop, and staff settled the family in a cage by the door.

That background makes the case sharper: the kitten was not merchandise or a toy. It had been alive for only a month, dependent on its mother and on a little human shelter.

A minute of swinging cannot be excused as play

A nearby security guard said he did not know where the children came from; he had told the child to stop, but the child ignored him. The beating and throwing lasted over a minute, and the two boys then left. The other boy watched without stopping it.

For a one-month-old kitten, a minute was enough to become unbearable fear and injury. Grabbing, swinging and throwing are not normal interaction or curiosity.

When minors harm animals, adults must intervene

A psychologist quoted in the report said such behavior may relate to the child's growth and learning environment and may be an aggressive way to vent pressure; parents and teachers should pay attention and guide the child, with psychological intervention if necessary.

This archive does not disclose a minor's identity and does not encourage doxxing or revenge. But silence is not protection. The questions are whether the child understood animals feel pain and fear, whether adults stopped him in time, and whether he understood the consequence.

Open care still needs safety boundaries

The shop's willingness to care for a stray mother and kittens was kindness, but placing one-month-old kittens in an open area by the door also created risk. If passersby can easily reach them, harm can arrive without warning.

Kindness needs protective rules: cage locks, fences, supervision, warning signs and adoption procedures are minimum barriers for weak lives. The dead kitten cannot be protected now; the remaining kittens should not be left to chance.

Timeline

• Morning of May 26, 2023: Outside a pet shop near Huabai Road, a boy entered the fenced area, swung a one-month-old kitten and threw it to the ground.
• After the incident: Staff found the kitten outside the cage, already dead.
• May 27, 2023: Reporters visited and saw the mother cat and four remaining kittens; staff explained the stray mother had brought the litter to the shop.
• May 28, 2023: GMW reposted Guangdong TV's report and quoted a psychologist urging parents and teachers to intervene.

Public Source

• GMW repost of Guangdong TV Today Focus: boy swung a kitten and threw it to the ground, causing death