A 3-year-old cat listed for auction by a local court in Yangzhou, Jiangsu province, to settle its owner's debts was removed from the auction list on Friday, the Yangtse Evening Post reported.

The planned sale earlier this month sparked debate online about whether pets should be treated as assets that can be auctioned.

Cover News, a media outlet based in Chengdu, Sichuan province, reported that the removal came after "the applicant and other creditors withdrew the application."

A pet store that had been caring for the cat confirmed that the court had taken it, though the reasons for the court's action and the animal's destination remain unclear, Cover News said.

The Yangzhou Economic and Technological Development Zone People's Court drew widespread attention when it announced the auction, as the item up for bid was not a typical asset like property or furniture, but a living animal.

The listing attracted more than 61,000 views and 6,500 bidders, with offers climbing from a starting price of 500 yuan ($70) to as high as 8,000 yuan, according to the report. The pet store's staff said the cat was healthy and weighed about 4 kilograms.

The auction exposure ignited debate on Sina Weibo, China's version of Twitter. Some users argued that selling the cat showed no respect for life, while others said an auction could help the animal find a new owner. Still others suggested the large number of bidders was driven more by a desire for online attention than genuine interest in adopting it.

Zhu Qiaoling, a lawyer, told Jiangsu-based Litchi News that pets are legally considered personal property and the court acted within regulations.

"Auctions of living creatures are not unheard of in judicial practice. Animals with high economic value such as cattle, sheep and pigs are often auctioned to settle debts," Zhu was quoted as saying.

"Personal property extends beyond houses and vehicles to include items such as special mobile phone numbers ending in '888' or '666,' as well as rare pets such as lizards, turtles and koi fish… In general, anything of value, regardless of size, can be auctioned," Zhu said.

In March, the Nanshan District People's Court in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, auctioned crocodiles raised by a Guangdong company, Tide News reported. The starting bid was set at 4 million yuan, with bidders required to obtain the necessary permits for capturing and transporting the reptiles.

lihongyang@chinadaily.com.cn