A female college student in Taiwan has been charged with animal abuse after she "punished" her pet cat by stuffing the feline in a plastic jar and then posting a picture of it on Facebook.
Kiki Lin, a student at Taichung's Providence University, came under fire from Facebook users after she posted pictures of her cat sealed in a jar, claiming the incident was a "punishment" for the feline's misbehaviour.
Lin was charged with animal abuse this week and if found guilty she could face an expensive fine, and up to one year in prison.
According to 'The China Post', Lin's claimed that she forced her "beloved" cat into a jar so that the duo could enjoy a nice outing.
"I love her so much, and I was just testing out the most convenient method of taking her out. And I only did it once," she said, adding that her cat's 4 kg weight was too strong for her to cope with when trying to put the cat into a bag.
Lin also showed the jar in question with obvious air holes punctured on the surface, drastically different from that of her uploaded photograph, the paper said.
Regarding netizens' anger, Lin said that she was sorry for the misunderstanding but refused to apologise for her action.
After inspecting the incident, the Taichung City Animal Protection and Health Inspection Office charged Lin with violation of the "Animal Protection Law" and has referred the case for further investigation.
