Man who bashed sleeping cat to death in Kuching jailed 11 months

KUCHING (Feb 25): A 38-year-old man was sentenced to 11 months in jail by the Magistrates’ Court here for killing a sleeping cat using a piece of wood.

Magistrate Nursyaheeqa Nazwa Radzali imposed the sentence after Shaifulnizam Abdul Rahman @ Latip, who initially claimed trial to the charge, changed his plea to guilty.

Shaifulnizam was charged under Section 428 of the Penal Code, which provides for up to three years’ imprisonment or a fine, or both, upon conviction.

He committed the offence at a 24-hour launderette along Jalan Astana here at about 12.17pm on Dec 30, 2025.

Based on the facts of the case, a member of the public lodged a police report after seeing a video on Facebook showing a man repeatedly striking a sleeping cat with a piece of wood until it died.

Shaifulnizam was arrested by police on Jan 1, 2026.

Investigations found that the accused committed the act out of dissatisfaction after a cat in the nearby area had bitten him.

The incident was recorded on a closed-circuit television. A witness also saw the cat being killed and later helped the accused bury the carcass.

Deputy public prosecutor Mohamad Afiq Safly Nor Kazly handled the prosecution, while the accused was unrepresented.