In March and April 2024, online reports alleged that Xu Moumou, a Southeast University student, had filmed cat abuse in a dormitory and joined an online group that took pleasure in abusing cats. Reports said Nanjing police investigated, interviewed Xu and family members, and Xu wrote a statement of remorse. The case later entered public debate when Nanjing University marked the candidate as failing the interview stage and Lanzhou University’s transfer list drew attention. This file records the cats harmed and the rare moment when cruelty toward animals was treated as relevant to public ethical judgment.

The reported cat abuse

CCTV.com, republishing Haibao News, reported that on March 4, 2024, multiple internet users posted complaints to the university, saying the student had filmed cat killing in a dormitory and had joined an online group centered on cat abuse.

Nanjing police were reported to have investigated and interviewed Xu Moumou and family members. Xu was said to have recognized the wrongdoing, written a statement of remorse and promised not to repeat such conduct.

Ethics review in admissions

In early April 2024, a Nanjing University physics admissions screenshot circulated online. A Xu-surnamed candidate ranked first by score but was marked as failing the interview stage.

Nanjing University’s rules included an ideological and moral review, with failure leading to non-admission. The case made visible that cruelty toward animals can become part of an institution’s judgment of basic ethical fitness.

The Lanzhou University follow-up

After Nanjing University, online users noticed the candidate in Lanzhou University’s transfer interview list. The topic became a major social-media discussion on April 6.

This aftermath should not become a spectacle of harassment. Its public value lies in the question it raised: whether respect for vulnerable lives should matter in education and professional selection.

Legal gaps and memory

Southern Metropolis Daily later discussed the difficulty of animal-protection legislation in China and noted that direct legal accountability for abusing cats and dogs remains limited.

The harmed cats could not speak for themselves. The archive records how society responded and why the principle that lives must not be treated with cruelty needs to become a real common rule.

Chronologie

• March 4, 2024: Online users reportedly complained to the university about Xu Moumou’s alleged cat abuse.
• Around April 2, 2024: A Nanjing University admissions screenshot circulated with the candidate marked as failing the interview stage.
• April 3, 2024: Nanjing University staff confirmed the online information; reports also mentioned police interviews.
• April 6-8, 2024: Lanzhou University’s transfer list drew attention; the candidate did not appear in the later proposed admission list.

Sources publiques

Ce dossier s’appuie sur la reprise de Haibao News par CCTV.com et sur Southern Metropolis Daily. Le nom est traité comme Xu Moumou et aucune image graphique de sévices n’est reproduite.

• 央视网转载海报新闻观察：专业第一却被南大刷掉，有虐猫经历还有资格上研究生吗？
• 南方都市报 / 腾讯新闻：虐猫背后立法之困