Cats left in Yuen Long village house picked up by their owner
A tenant said he did not abandon seven cats inside a Yuen Long village house and that he has picked up the pets now and moved to a new home.
A woman who owns a flat in Tung Tau Tsuen in Yuen Long reported to the police on Monday after finding her tenant to have "left behind" seven cats, some of which were kept in cages. She took back the flat at around 9 am on Monday after the lease expired on Christmas Day.
After investigations, police said the case involved a rental dispute, and the animals were not abused.
The tenant concerned said that he signed a two-year lease with the landlord until the end of May next year at a monthly rent of HK$7,500, due on the 7th of each month.
He had to move out as he could not keep up the rental payments and had recently removed his personal belongings from the property.
As he believed the date for returning the flat would be January 7 next year, he temporarily left the cats inside the house. However, he said the owner unexpectedly entered the apartment on Monday, thus causing the misunderstanding.
He continued that the cats he kept were golden British short hairs worth about HK$20,000 each. He said he has always cherished them and hired a helper to take care of them, so he would not abandon or abuse them.
The landlord said that the tenant hadn't paid rent for two months. She said that the rent was supposed to be paid on the 24th of each month and was delayed to January 7 next year, considering the tenant's financial situation.