Man who tortured, stabbed multiple cats gets 31 months' jail in record sentence for animal abuse

SINGAPORE: A man who abused six cats, causing the death of two, was sentenced on Friday (Apr 10) to 31 months’ jail and disqualified from owning any animal for the maximum period of 12 months upon his release. 

According to court documents, Tan Yi Bin Ryan was arrested in October 2024 after he abused five cats, including torturing an orange domestic shorthair cat before throwing it down from the 34th floor of a Housing and Development Board (HDB) block. 

The 27-year-old was charged and released on bail on Oct 30, 2024, but later reoffended in March last year by torturing another feline, which had to be put down due to the extent of its injuries. 

Tan pleaded guilty to three charges of animal cruelty, with the remaining three charges taken into consideration. 

His conviction is the highest sentencing to date for a case involving animal cruelty, the National Parks Board (NParks) said in a statement on Friday.

STABBINGS AND TORTURE 

Tan, who was a food delivery rider at the time of the offences, began seeking out community cats to play with, as he was experiencing relationship issues with his then-girlfriend around July and August 2024.

However, some cats ignored him, and one scratched him, causing Tan to decide to teach the cats who were not receptive to him a lesson.

From Sep 16 to Sep 20, he searched online on how to torture cats, eventually deciding on stabbing as his preferred method. According to court documents, he researched where to stab a cat so he could inflict enough injury to “teach the cat a lesson” but not kill it. 

He also searched for information on the likely penalties for killing a cat.

Tan purchased a 10cm foldable knife and used it to stab a ginger and white domestic shorthair on Sep 21, 2024. 

The next day, he went to Block 36 Lorong 5 Toa Payoh, where he stabbed another cat. 

He then moved on to Block 200 Toa Payoh North to look for more cats that had ignored him before. He stabbed a ginger cat, which resembled one of these cats, once before it fled. 

Tan also approached a white cat and attempted to play with it, but stabbed it once in the back when it did not respond to him.

After the cat ran away, Tan searched for it as he was unsure if the stabbing had injured it and wanted to do so again to be sure. Finding the cat, he stabbed it once more in the back.

His attack on the white cat was captured on closed circuit television (CCTV) footage.

Later, Tan cycled to Block 12 Lorong 7 Toa Payoh, where he chanced upon an orange cat. 

He moved to stab it, but stopped when he heard a man shouting at him. Tan cycled away and discarded the knife in a dustbin.

On Oct 6, 2024, Tan noticed another orange cat at Block 78 Lorong Limau when he was making food deliveries in the area. The next day, he returned to the block at around 2am to search for the cat, wearing a hooded sweatshirt and mask to avoid recognition. 

At 3.48am on Oct 7, he picked up the cat and brought it into the lift. Inside, he lifted the cat high above his head before flinging it down with considerable force. 

Tan then kicked and stomped on the cat multiple times in a “frenzied” manner, according to court filings. The cat attempted to run in circles in the lift to avoid the blows but was unsuccessful. The violence lasted about 1 minute and 20 seconds. 

By the time the lift stopped at the 34th floor, the cat was not moving, though still alive. 

Tan picked it up by its tail, exited the lift and threw the cat over the parapet. He then went downstairs to check if it was dead, but could not find it, and left. 

Tan’s actions in the lift were captured on CCTV. When he returned home, he searched up whether he could be recognised in the footage if he had a mask on. 

He was arrested at his home later that day. He was charged and released on bail on Oct 30. 

THE SIXTH CAT

On Mar 13, 2025, NParks was informed that an orange and black cat had been found injured and bleeding at Block 15 Toa Payoh Lorong 7. 

CCTV footage showed that Tan had tortured this cat as well, while he was on bail. He was caught on camera dragging the cat by its tail while it yowled loudly and tried to escape.

The man had spotted the cat while cycling around the block and tried to play with it, but it hissed at him and went to hide. 

Angered, Tan dragged the cat by its tail and slammed its head against a wall multiple times.

With each successive slam, he increased the amount of force he applied. He left the severely injured cat there and cycled away. 

The cat was found and brought to a vet for treatment. However, its injuries were so severe that the vet found it unlikely that it would make a good recovery. It was put down that afternoon. 

Tan was re-arrested on Mar 13, 2025, and has been in remand since. 

Timely information and evidence provided by the public were key in supporting NParks’ investigations into this case, said Ms Jessica Kwok, group director of Enforcement & Investigation at NParks. 

The agency’s investigations were assisted by the police and included reviewing CCTV footage, interviewing eyewitnesses and examining veterinary reports received for the cats. Postmortem examinations on the two cats that died were also conducted.

“NParks takes all cases related to animal cruelty and abuse seriously, and investigates all feedback received,” said Ms Kwok.

“As with all investigations, all forms of evidence are crucial to the process, and photographic and/or videographic evidence provided by the public will be helpful in supporting investigations,” she said.

Those who want to report suspected cases of animal cruelty or provide potential evidence to NParks can do so via the agency’s website or by calling 1800-476-1600.