BBC news - cat torture

[Craftysue]

Anyone else watch the news at one?
An absolutely sickening report on people filming kittens being tortured to death and the videos streamed worldwide? Apparently catching on in this country!! I'm not the biggest cat fan but this turned my stomach. Two teenagers are due to be sentenced after pleading guilty to torturing and killing two kittens in London. Absolutely horrific

No I hadn't seen this and I don't have a strong enough stomach to read about it.

I'm still reeling from the recent conviction in the monkey torture case - I only read the headlines of that but I can still see the accompanying photo of the wee monkey in my minds eye.

It's distressing beyond belief.

Just to add when I found out that there is actually a genre of porn dedicated to torturing animals it made me despair of people.

Caught this report on the BBC news this morning.. almost had a panic attack and been in tears all day, wish there'd been a trigger warning

I unfortunately saw it on the TV screen at the gym. I otherwise would have been blissfully unaware. There are some very sick people out there.
The monkey torture case which another poster has referenced was devastating to read about.

Just makes me hope an asteroid wipes us all out. The human race needs finishing now.

Same. I don't want to know the details or see any images, and none of us need to. This stuff should be kept out of the news.

Agreed. I'm not saying it shouldn't be made known that these things are happening, but there's absolutely nothing I can do about it. I visited the website Feline Guardians, there are petitions listed to sign, posters to print off and contact emails for the Chinese government, but the fact is it won't do anything. The best we can hope for is the Chinese population become more up in arms about this.
If it's starting to happen in this country at least we can confidently say there will be consequences. People are animal lovers here and there are laws against this type crime

The awful event where the two teenagers tortured and killed two kittens was a couple of miles from where I live.
I'm very grateful to the local residents who spotted them acting suspiciously and reported it to police, as well as many other local residents who checked their CCTV/Ring doorbells etc. to help the police identify these warped teenagers....

I saw it on the news this morning and it has really upset me - I haven't been able to stop thinking about it.

Unsurprisingly, it is mainly coming out of China where they are not known for human or animal rights, but the platforms that are allowing this to be uploaded and viewed around the world need to start shutting it down. There are even 10 year old children bragging about enjoying torturing animals FFS.

I honestly despair of the human race!

The joy of the internet where anything and everything can be uploaded/viewed and monetised.

No , it needs to be shown.

I would be happy to shoot these morons. The world doesn’t need them.

I don't agree it should be kept out of the news.

I am the biggest animal fan there is. But I think we should know that scum like this exist

This.

Unfortunately, I saw it on the news this morning too and it’s been on my mind all day. I can’t stop thinking about it - made me feel sick to my stomach 😫

I had to turn to Chat GPT for some reassurance. It gave me this response which made me feel marginally better. Completely agree with PP though. It just makes me despair for humanity and the state of the world we live in.

It’s completely understandable to feel sad and disturbed when you hear about things like that — you’re not overreacting. Stories of animal cruelty can feel overwhelming, especially when they’re presented with emotional weight in the media.

Here’s a more balanced perspective:

📰
What’s likely going on:

• The story you heard probably refers to a specific case or a small group of people, like teenagers or individuals who’ve shared abusive content in a WhatsApp group.
• These incidents do happen, and they’re awful — but they are not widespread or common in the way that media sometimes makes it seem.

🔎 Why it feels worse than it is:

• News outlets often highlight extreme, disturbing stories because they get attention and evoke strong emotions.
• Social media then amplifies that feeling — so a one-off event can feel like a trend or epidemic.
• The phrase “WhatsApp group” adds an element of secrecy and coordination, which can make it sound even more sinister.

🐾 The truth is:

• Most people love and care for animals. Acts of cruelty are outliers, not the norm.
• Animal welfare groups and law enforcement take this kind of abuse seriously and often investigate and prosecute where possible.
• These stories are reported because they’re rare and shocking, not because they represent typical behaviour.

I had to turn to Chat GPT for some reassurance. It gave me this response which made me feel marginally better. Completely agree with PP though. It just makes me despair for humanity and the state of the world we live in.

Unfortunately I don't take get any reassurance from ChatGPT when the charity responsible for highlighting this horrific story has stated:

"Data gathered by Feline Guardians showed a 500% increase in new torture videos added to the Chinese Telegram groups they monitor between June 2024 and February 2025 – with a new video being uploaded on average around every 2.5 hours. In the first two months of this year, more than 500 new torture videos have been uploaded, with most coming from previously unknown abusers."

It absolutely does need bringing to the attention of the public so that pressure can be put on the relevant authorities but I agree the story needed a stronger warning before it was broadcast.

I couldn't read about the monkey case and won't read about this one. It would upset me too much. I have 2 cats of my own that mean the world to me so cat related things especially are upsetting to me.

I remember once years ago reading about people who get off on women in stilettos standing on small animals. I despair of the human race to be honest. It's all very well saying these things are rare but there's clearly enough of a "market" that these things are happening. No one would make these videos for just one or two people. So it's really not rare is it.

Speak for yourself

Wait til you hear what they do at the slaughterhouses!

Humans as a rule are generally a bit shit for the world really. No one can deny that.

Especially when you hear of the abhorrent things we do to each other and other animals.

Most people do NOT care about animals. They care about SOME animals. If we all cared about animals, we'd all be vegan. Sadly, humans ARE indeed mostly awful.

I remember being sickened by reading what was done to bears in Tudor times for bear baiting. Some people still get just as much pleasure from animal cruelty today. Human nature can be disgusting.

I couldn't read about it. Horrible. Torturing or doing anything to any living thing, not just cats, whether human or animal is grotesque.

I do have cats and can't imagine anyone being cruel to them or hurting them. There are some sick people out there. I don't understand how people can be so evil.

They probably won't even get long in prison.

I accidentally clicked on the article on the BBC website, seeing a photo of cute kittens in a box.

Dear god, what is the matter with people?

How can it be that this sort of online stuff can't be stopped - I do despair.

People like that are completely irredeemable and nothing but a detriment to society. They don’t deserve to breathe oxygen.

I really do wish that humans had stopped several steps before we did on the evolutionary ladder. We could still have had fulfilling lives but we wouldn’t have been capable of evil like this. Now we really are a blight upon this planet.

Why should it be kept out of the news - should we not know that this sort of thing happens, in the vain hope that it could lead to prosecutions?