A Saudi man who went on a horrific rampage killing tens of cats in Jeddah earlier this summer was sentenced to a year in jail on Thursday, Sabq news site reported.
The unidentified man was also fined 20,000 riyals and ordered to delete his social media accounts.
In their statement on the matter, authorities explained the sentence was handed down to the man because he went against religious teachings and the kingdom's cyber crime laws.
Earlier in August, the 'cat killer' had shared videos of him killing the felines on Snapchat.
In one video, he was seen aiming a rifle at a cat drinking from a bowl of water. Another more sinister video shows the man using the Snapchat cat face filter as he curses neighbors for providing food and water to the animals.
Viral videos that shocked the nation
The man's videos caused quite the stir on social media back in August, leading thousands of outraged users to call on authorities to take action against him.
The kingdom's authorities and Ministry of Environment, Water, and Agriculture were quick to respond.
In a statement they issued at the time, ministry officials said:
"The ministry reaffirms that this disgraceful act stands contrary to the teaching of our Islamic faith, which calls for companionship with animals, and stands contrary to the regulations of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia."
People relieved at the latest news
"The best sentence I've heard in years."
"He deserves this"
"A step in the right direction"
"I wish it was a longer sentence, but it's a step in the right direction and hopefully this will help curb such horrific crimes."
Others raised this point
"He certainly has a mental illness, he should get treatment."
"I hope that he's urgently sent to a psychiatrist after he serves his sentence"
Islam forbids the ill treatment of animals
Islam forbids animal abuse in general and cats in specific.
Prophet Muhammad is believed to have been a serious cat lover with a favorite pet cat named Muezza, with numerous hadiths suggesting he forbade the killing or abuse of cats.
According to one story, Prophet Muhammad once went to great lengths to avoid disturbing a sleeping cat. The animal was resting on the sleeve of the prophet's coat. Instead of waking the cat so he could wear the garment, the prophet is said to have cut the sleeve off, wearing the coat without it.