The white cat, which was bony and dehydrated, was taken in by the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals for treatment.

Police received a report from a 51-year-old woman who owns a flat on Luen Cheong Street in Fanling last Monday.

She found a cat meowing in the flat she rented to the man. Foul smells also came from the flat.

The flat owner said she could not reach the tenant for two weeks. She called the police after suspecting the cat was maltreated.

Police officers and the firefighters arrived at the flat, where they found the cat suspected to be abandoned in the flat. The hygiene of the flat was poor and there was little water left for the animal.

After investigation, a 33-year-old man was arrested for animal cruelty in Sham Shui Po last Friday.