A Taiwanese man has been fined after posting a sick cat he could no longer care for through the mail.
The 33-year-old, named only as Mr Yang, said the Scottish fold cat suffered from mobility problems caused by an earlier leg injury.
Despite being given acupuncture and herbal remedies, the cat had failed to recover and Mr Yang said he no longer had the time to look after it.
He explained to animal rescue workers that he tried to give the cat away, but nobody would take it.
Instead of handing the animal over to a shelter, he decided to put it in a box and put it in the post it instead.
It is unclear whether he placed air holes in the box, and where he addressed the package to.
Police used CCTV images and postal record to track Mr Yang, who subsequently admitted posting the cat, Taiwan's UDN site reports.
He was subsequently fined £1,500 for violating animal cruelty laws and another £750 after it emerged the cat was not vaccinated for rabies.
Chen Yuan-chuan, director of the New Taipei City Animal Protection and Health Inspection Office, said: 'An animal can suffocate in an insufficiently ventilated container, has no access to clean water and can become distressed.'
He urged people who find they are no longer able to care for their pets to hand them over to an animal protection office, or a registered shelter.
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