A Hong Kong pet shop owner has been arrested for the alleged theft of 35 of his customers’ cats which he used to repay debts to a loan company, with the felines estimated to be valued at more than HK$623,000 (US$79,870), the Post has learned.
The owner, surnamed Chan, 44, had a shop in Hung Hom, which also offered consignment and pet-sitting services, a source said on Thursday.
The source said Chan took out a loan of HK$210,000 from a company in August last year. The firm demanded repayment on Monday but Chan, who could not pay, proposed offering the cats from two customers to cover part of the debt, the source said.
The proposal was accepted by the company staff, who later took away the cats.
Three Bengal cats, valued at HK$150,000, and 32 British Shorthairs and Ragdolls, valued at HK$473,300, were given away.
The Bengal cats were owned by a woman, 57, who requested a pet-sitting service at the shop. The other cats belonged to a man, 54, who asked for a consignment service.
The woman called police on Wednesday at 2pm after she failed to get back her pets at the shop and discovered that they had been used for debt repayment, the source said.
The shop owner was arrested for theft after a police investigation. The force also recovered the 35 cats in Yau Ma Tei and Yuen Long districts.
The cats were found to be healthy after being checked by staff of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, the source added.
The case is still under investigation. - SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST
