SINGAPORE, April 10 — A 27-year-old man who carried out a series of violent attacks on community cats, including fatal assaults, has been sentenced to two years and seven months in jail.

According to The Straits Times, Ryan Tan Yi Bin pleaded guilty to three counts of animal abuse and will also be barred from keeping animals for 12 months after completing his sentence.

The court heard that Tan, a delivery rider at the time, began seeking out stray cats for companionship in 2024 amid personal relationship issues, but grew frustrated when some did not respond to him.

He later searched online for methods to harm cats before embarking on a string of attacks across Toa Payoh and nearby areas.

In September 2024, after buying a foldable knife, Tan stabbed several cats over consecutive days. 

One animal sustained a deep wound that penetrated its abdominal cavity and required urgent treatment.

In another incident weeks later, he tracked down a cat he had previously seen while working and carried it into a lift. 

CCTV footage showed him violently assaulting the animal before throwing it from a high floor, killing it.

The court also heard that in March 2025, Tan attacked another cat after it reacted defensively to his approach, repeatedly slamming it against a wall. 

The injuries were so severe the animal had to be euthanised.

Prosecutors said Tan had even looked up past animal abuse cases and sentencing outcomes online, indicating awareness of the consequences.

In delivering the sentence, District Judge Sharmila Sripathy-Shanaz described the offences as “deplorable, sadistic and serial abuse” of defenceless animals, stressing that such acts warranted firm punishment.

Tan’s lawyer said his client was remorseful and intended to seek help, but the court found the pattern of behaviour particularly serious, noting the offences were among the worst of their kind locally.