Japanese man said: "I got a thrill out of abusing cats"

The mood music coming out of Japan is that, in general, the citizens like cats. I always thought that Japan was very organised. They do have stray cats but they are generally respected. Obviously there are exceptions to that thought, and in any case my thoughts are probably wrong. I've never been to Japan but seen some lovely stray cat photographs! In any case, this is not a good story from Japan if you love cats.

Japan stray cat being photographed with a 6x6 film camera. Photo by Noelas H. under CC license.

A 49-year-old man, Yuichiro Hirata, received a suspended prison sentence of 18 months after he was found guilty of killing and injuring nearly 100 cats over the past three years.

He said:

"I've killed or injured nearly 100 cats since three years ago. I got a thrill out of abusing cats."

He was convicted under the Animal Welfare Law according to Japan Today for injuring cats with an airgun in Yachiyo, Chiba, Japan last November. The court heard that he also used an airgun to shoot at cats and he poured boiling water on cats which he had encouraged to come to him with food.

There were 15 reported incidents of cats being shot at with an airgun from February 2019 until his arrest in Chiba City and neighbouring Narashino City. Yuichiro Hirata is a part-time worker in Chiba City.

Comment: this sounds a bit like anywhere else. In the UK idiotic kids shoot airgun pellets at cats sometimes, for the fun of it. In the USA idiotic adults shoot .22 calibre bullets at stray cat, sometimes. And in those countries, and in other countries, the courts tend to treat them leniently when they been convicted of animal cruelty and abuse.

Of course, it depends upon your point of view as to whether an 18 month prison sentence suspended for three years is lenient or not. To me it is, obviously. It should not have been suspended. All he has to do is keep his nose clean for three years and he is home free. No punishment. He'll then start up again abusing stray cats.

If anyone actually likes to hurt animals they are a danger to society. He should be medically treated too. Why wasn't there an order that he attend a psychiatrist or mental health worker for mental health treatment? His pleasure in harming cats needs to be removed from his mind.

It seems to me that this man is very angry and we wants to strike back at something as he feels aggrieved and hard done by. Rather than harming humans he harms the innocent cat because they are easier to harm and the punishment is light. He has mental health problems.