Incident Occurs Due to 'Care Taker' Feeding Stray Cats
Animal Protection Group Calls It a "Lowly Act Expressed from Inferiority Complex"
[Asia Economy Reporter Yoon Seul-gi] Amid ongoing conflicts between caretakers (citizens who care for cats) and some residents over feeding stray cats, cases of direct harm to caretakers are repeatedly occurring. Animal protection organizations criticize this as a lowly act stemming from inferiority complex, where harassment initially targeting the most vulnerable stray cats has expanded to caretakers as well.
Controversy continues after a 'cat mom' who feeds stray cats was assaulted by a man in his 40s. On the 5th, Daegu Nambu Police Station booked a man in his 40s, Mr. A, without detention on charges of repeatedly punching a woman in her 30s around 5 p.m. on the 1st in an alley of a residential area in Nam-gu, Daegu.
At the time of the incident, Mr. A became angry after seeing a woman feeding a neutered stray cat and got into a verbal argument before committing the assault. Mr. A reportedly told the police, "I got angry because the alley became dirty from feeding the stray cats, so I assaulted her." The victim currently has injuries requiring two weeks of medical treatment and is suffering from trauma.
There have also been cases of death threats made simply because of feeding stray cats. According to Animal Rights Action Kara, a man in his 20s, Mr. B, repeatedly made death threats at least 16 times from August 2021 to January this year against a citizen caring for stray cats in Hangang Park.
He claimed stray cats were 'harmful animals' and threatened to harm the cats if feeding did not stop. He even left threatening notes directly for the victim; in September last year, Mr. B left notes on a cat's food bowl saying, "Weapon purchase complete," and "I will stab you in the neck."
Mr. A even threatened to kill the victim. Having tracked the victim’s movements and the locations where the stray cats were cared for, Mr. B threatened, "If a stabbing occurs, I will receive a reduced sentence of two years in prison. But the news will report a cat mom murder, right?" Ultimately, in September, Mr. B was sentenced to six months in prison with a one-year probation.
Recently, the number of people feeding stray cats in urban areas has been increasing. Under current law, stray cats are not classified as harmful animals and are protected under the Animal Protection Act, representing efforts to coexist with stray cats in urban areas where feeding activities are restricted.
As a result, conflicts between cat moms/dads and some residents have continued for years. Complaints include foul odors from stray cats’ excrement and noise pollution caused by cats’ cries during mating seasons. There are also claims that regularly feeding stray cats could increase their population.
Conflicts over feeding stray cats sometimes escalate into serious clashes, including harm to stray cats eating food provided by people or threats and violence against cat moms/dads.
However, since local governments allocate budgets to conduct stray cat neutering (TNR) projects, concerns about citizen inconvenience due to increased cat populations are considered unfounded. The TNR project involves surgically neutering or sterilizing cats living and breeding naturally in urban or residential areas and then releasing them back to their original locations to control the population.
Experts point out that abusing cats or threatening cat moms/dads due to concerns about reproduction is a 'lowly behavior.' Jeon Jin-kyung, CEO of Animal Rights Action Kara, said about cat mom hatred, "Some people who feel socially unrecognized and frustrated need a target for their hatred and animosity, so they abuse the weakest target, stray cats. This lowly anger has expanded to caretakers who care for stray cats, causing problems."
Jeon added, "Those opposing feeding stray cats claim, 'Feeding stray cats increases their population and makes the environment dirty,' but this is not true. Rather, cats cared for by cat moms/dads are more likely to undergo TNR and have increased opportunities to participate in adoption programs."
Regarding claims that TNR is ineffective, Jeon explained, "TNR is a scientifically certified population control method by the government. It is undoubtedly effective. Although its effectiveness may decrease depending on regional characteristics or specific cat populations, this is only a minor issue." She emphasized, "Now is the time to consider how to implement TNR more effectively and to apply widespread TNR through securing budgets."
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