Man fined RM2,000 for throwing his shoe at stray cat

The man was trying to scare the animal away from his apartment but some animal activists are unhappy with the “low” fine.

KUALA LUMPUR: A man who threw his shoe at a stray cat to scare it away from his TTDI apartment here last year was fined RM2,000 by the Magistrate’s Court today.

Zaini Othman pleaded guilty to the charge made under Section 44(1)(a) of the Animal Welfare Act.

His action of throwing his shoe at the cat on Sept 20, 2017 was caught on the apartment’s closed circuit television camera, and prompted a police report to be lodged against him.

However, several animal activists were displeased with the amount of the fine.

The maximum penalty under Section 44(1)(a) is a fine of RM50,000 or one year’s jail, or both.

The activists said RM2,000 was too low and would not be a deterrent to others against ill-treating animals.

Activist M Maheswaren said a higher fine should have been imposed, and he cited the case of Furby, the guard dog, and the RM8,000 fine meted out to a Singaporean man who beat it with a helmet.

“To me, RM2,000 is nothing much. People will just pay the fine and never repent,” he said.

In the case of Furby, the Singaporean man was taken to court last January after his action was caught on camera and went viral on social media.

Maheswaran said the public should be compassionate to the furry creatures because they lived in the same space as humans.

“As humans, we should be kind to the living creatures that share the same space as us.”

Another activist, Khalid Rashid, also questioned why the court did not impose a stiffer sentence despite the law permitting animal abusers to be fined up to RM50,000 or jailed up to one year.

“When a low fine is imposed, people will take it for granted that they can walk away with mistreating animals,” he said.

He added the government should be more active in educating the public on neutering their animals, in a bid to reduce stray cats and dogs.

“People get angry because stray animals are everywhere and cause a nuisance to them.

“That was why some people get angry and vent their anger on the animals,” Khalid said, adding he was willing to help the government in reducing the number of stray animals. -FMT