ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - A video circulating online showing a man severely abusing a cat in Erbil went viral in recent days, with a veterinarian on Thursday saying ten people contacted him saying that had unwittingly given the suspects cats for adoption as police urge those with knowledge to file a formal complaint.

The CCTV footage in question shows the man dragging the cat against the floor and walls and repeatedly shaking it around in a box at a car dealership before letting it go.

“After the video, more than 10 people contacted me saying they had given cats to that man without knowing what he would do to them,” Twana Jalal, a veterinarian who first shared the footage, told The New Region.

A person familiar with the suspect said he is a Syrian national who worked at a car dealership on Erbil’s 100-meter ring road, adding he was fired over abusing the cat.

Kifah Hassan, spokesperson for Erbil Police, said that “no formal complaint has been filed on this matter so far.”

“We call on those who gave their cats to this person to come and file a complaint,” he stressed.

There are many stray dogs and cats in the Kurdistan Region who are often subjected to violence. Many such animals are seen roaming the streets with their tails, paws, or ears cut off as a result of abuse they have endured.

The Kurdistan Region passed its first-ever animal protection law in late 2022, deeming the killing of stray animals forbidden by any means.

But four years later, little has been done to safeguard their lives, with killings, beatings, and other forms of abuse remaining rife.