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8/6/2025, 10:25:20 PM
These groups started in China, but BBC News has identified members now active across the world, including in the UK.
The scale of the network has been documented by animal rights activists Feline Guardians.
The group says between May 2023 and May 2024, a new video showing the torture and execution of a kitten or cat was uploaded approximately every 14 hours.
It says it has documented 24 groups active this year, the largest of which had more than 1,000 members. The most active torturer is believed to have filmed the torture and killing of more than 200 cats.
Chat conversations in one group, seen by the BBC, include what appear to be UK-based accounts discussing how to get hold of cats to abuse.
One member discussed how to adopt kittens from the RSPCA and posted application forms. Another post shared an advert for kittens for sale in the UK, posting that they wanted to "torture them so bad".
Lara is a volunteer with Feline Guardians. We have agreed not to use her full name for fear of reprisals.
She said: "Every day I feel heartbroken, there is not a day that goes past that I don't feel like my heart is breaking."
She has spent time undercover in the forums and says there is no limit to the pain the torturers are prepared to inflict.
She describes it as the "depths of evil".
Videos depicting the horrific torture of cats first went viral in China in 2023.
The man responsible for two extremely graphic videos, Wang Chaoyi, was detained for 15 days by the Chinese authorities and forced to issue a "letter of repentance".
But his footage developed a cult following and others began making similar content for Chinese and Western social media, gaining thousands of views, before groups developed on encrypted messaging apps.
One website even describes itself as a place for the "cat-lover community" and requests viewers "submit your work".
Cont.
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c5yp9w5kyw7o
The scale of the network has been documented by animal rights activists Feline Guardians.
The group says between May 2023 and May 2024, a new video showing the torture and execution of a kitten or cat was uploaded approximately every 14 hours.
It says it has documented 24 groups active this year, the largest of which had more than 1,000 members. The most active torturer is believed to have filmed the torture and killing of more than 200 cats.
Chat conversations in one group, seen by the BBC, include what appear to be UK-based accounts discussing how to get hold of cats to abuse.
One member discussed how to adopt kittens from the RSPCA and posted application forms. Another post shared an advert for kittens for sale in the UK, posting that they wanted to "torture them so bad".
Lara is a volunteer with Feline Guardians. We have agreed not to use her full name for fear of reprisals.
She said: "Every day I feel heartbroken, there is not a day that goes past that I don't feel like my heart is breaking."
She has spent time undercover in the forums and says there is no limit to the pain the torturers are prepared to inflict.
She describes it as the "depths of evil".
Videos depicting the horrific torture of cats first went viral in China in 2023.
The man responsible for two extremely graphic videos, Wang Chaoyi, was detained for 15 days by the Chinese authorities and forced to issue a "letter of repentance".
But his footage developed a cult following and others began making similar content for Chinese and Western social media, gaining thousands of views, before groups developed on encrypted messaging apps.
One website even describes itself as a place for the "cat-lover community" and requests viewers "submit your work".
Cont.
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c5yp9w5kyw7o
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