Chinese woman throws kitten, stomps on its head after pet shop denies refund request

Chinese netizens are enraged after a woman was caught throwing a helpless kitten onto the floor and stomping on its head — all because she couldn't get a refund on it.

The woman's violent rampage in a pet shop in Jilin took place on Nov 19 after she was denied a refund on the kitten that she had bought just days after losing her other cat, said Chinese media reports.

CCTV footage of the brutal attack, which has been circulating on Weibo, showed the woman swearing at the kitten, which was squirming around in a plastic bag beside her.

When the kitten continued to struggle, she grabbed it by its neck and threw it to the floor violently. The kitten, which had landed about a metre away, tried to crawl back to her, but the woman stepped on its head, pinning it down.

Despite the kitten's howls, she continued to drag it around with her foot before picking it up and stuffing it back into the plastic bag.

Police officers were later called to the shop to counsel the woman.

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4NGPbc6yAsc[/embed]

The pet store owner told reporters on Nov 20 that the woman, who remains unnamed, had first visited the shop on Nov 14 to buy a new pet as her cat at home had gotten lost.

The shop owner rightfully advised her to try searching for her cat again before taking the leap and getting a new cat.

The next day, however, she returned and insisted on buying a kitten, claiming that she still could not find her cat.

The shop owner mentioned that she made it clear to the woman that there would be absolutely no refunds on the new feline purchase. But four days later, the woman returned and asked for her money back as she had found her first cat.

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When the staff at the pet shop refused to give her a refund and rejected her requests for free items such as cat towers and food, the woman grew belligerent and took it out on the kitten.

The shop owner also confirmed that the woman was still in possession of both cats and said that the matter had been "clarified" and was "in the past".

"She sent me a video of the kitten. It's true that it's living just fine," she said.

The shop owner also posted a video of the kitten feeding as proof that it was in good health. 

In a social media post on the same day, the woman apologised to all pet lovers and assured them that the kitten was "completely unhurt".

"Even kids know that you should love animals. My actions at the time were worse than a child," she wrote. "After this experience, I will be more caring towards all life on earth."

She also pledged to send regular updates on her cats the pet shop owner, saying, "I will let my actions prove that I am a cat lover too."

But netizens were not convinced by her apology and remained highly doubtful of her ability to care for the cats.

kimberlylim@asiaone.com