3 cats found dead in Iao Hon street, investigation handed to police

Three dead cats have been found in an alley near Rua Dois do Bairro do Iao Hon in the northern district, the Municipal Affairs Bureau (IAM) said in a statement.
According to the IAM, an investigation into the incident was prompted by notifications from citizens and several animal protection groups.
The deceased cats were found on Saturday, February 6 in an alley. Their bodies were at different stages of decomposition, a preliminary investigation indicated. This suggests that the deaths have occurred at different times and potentially different locations, if the bodies were moved.
After a preliminary autopsy, the IAM said that the animals had no broken bones or injuries consistent from falling from height or physical violence. They suspected the animals had died from other causes such as poisoning or disease.
Since the cause of death was considered suspicious, the case has been classified as a case of suspected cruelty to animals and sent to the police for further investigation.
The preliminary autopsy also revealed that the cats were all females. Two were kittens and one was an adult female cat that was pregnant.
According to the provisions of the Animal Protection Law, anyone who intends to cause an animal suffering, uses cruelty, violence or tortures an animal, causing mutilation, loss of vital organs or death, shall be sentenced to a maximum of one year of imprisonment or to a monetary fine of equivalent to 120 days.
The IAM also warned members of the public not to dispose of the bodies of any animals following suspected animal cruelty or an unknown cause of death. In such an event, members of the public should immediately report the incident to the police or call the IAM hotline 2887 0120 for proper disposal.
Animal protection group Anima also issued a statement on the case, noting that they were following the case closely to avoid “it resulting in another closed case.”
The group was referring to a similar case less than a month ago, where the bodies of five cats which were suspected to have died after falling from height at the Ocean Gardens residential development in Taipa. The carcasses were found by the real estate management entity.
At that time, the IAM stated that further investigation of the case was not possible as the report to authorities came two weeks after the event, after the bodies had been removed and the location already cleaned.