Police have confirmed receiving two reports on the alleged abuse of a cat at the Pasar Lebuh Cecil food court, which has been shared widely on social media since yesterday.

Timur Laut police chief Abdul Rozak Muhammad said the first report was lodged by a woman in her 20s at 4.05pm on Thursday, claiming that she saw a food trader strangle a cat at 8am that day.

“A 55-year-old food trader there also lodged a police report yesterday denying the allegation against him,” Bernama reported him as saying today.He said following a preliminary investigation, the case has been referred to the Penang Island City Council for further action.

The incident has received widespread attention online, with many members of the public and animal activists calling for an investigation.