Social media in Morocco has been buzzing with a video that sparked widespread outrage in the country, showing a crime in which a cat was killed by a dog prompted by its owner, who filmed the incident. Local media reported that a young woman encouraged her dog to attack a small cat, which led to its death. The incident occurred in the city of Fez in the north of the country, and it gained further attention after the girl posted the video with apparent nonchalance.
In the past two days, the hashtag #السجن_لقاتلة_القطط (jail for the cat killer) has gone viral on Twitter and Facebook, with calls for the harshest penalties against the girl. Furthermore, local media mentioned that citizens have filed an official complaint against her with the public prosecutor.
Moroccan law imposes strict penalties regarding such acts. If the girl is arrested and the allegations against her are proven, she could face a prison sentence of up to six months. Article 601 states: "Anyone who poisons a riding or working animal, cattle, sheep, goats, or other livestock, or a guard dog, or fish in a pond or drainage channel owned by others, is punishable by imprisonment for one to five years and a fine from two hundred to five hundred dirhams."
Meanwhile, Article 602 specifies that "whoever kills or mutilates, without necessity, any of the animals mentioned in the previous article, or any other domestic animal found in places or buildings or gardens or extensions or lands owned or leased or cultivated by the owner of the killed or mutilated animal, is punishable by imprisonment from two to six months and a fine from two hundred to two hundred and fifty dirhams. If the crime is committed by violating a fence, the prison sentence is doubled."
