TAIPEI - A college student in Taiwan has been charged with animal abuse after she posted pictures of her cat sealed in a jar.

Kiki Lin, from Taichung, became the target of netizens' wrath after she posted two photos of a white cat in a plastic bottle and wrote "cat in a bottle, punishment for behaving badly" on her Facebook on Monday, Taiwan's CNA reported.

Netizens soon flooded Lin's page with negative comments calling her an animal abuser, China Post reported.

"I really don't see how it is their (netizens) place to criticise me," said Lin, "without even knowing what happened; they have too much time on their hands."

She later deleted the post and apologised for her action, saying she knew that she made a mistake and should have not considered tormenting her cat in this way.

Lin has been charged with violations against the Animal Protection Law and will face up to one year maximum imprisonment pending further investigations.