ANN/THE STRAITS TIMES – The Animal and Veterinary Service (AVS) in Singapore is conducting an inquiry into an alleged case of animal neglect following the rescue of some 20 cats by animal welfare organisations from a rental flat.
The animals endured an eight-day ordeal deprived of food and water. The living conditions were also deplorable.
In a Facebook post on Wednesday, the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) said it helped to rescue the cats – including a kitten – from the Bukit Merah flat on August 19. The rescue took 12 hours in total.
SPCA added in the post that the sewage pipe had burst in the flat, “leaking waste matter throughout the flat”. In an accompanying video, cats are seen freely roaming around the flat where the floor is either covered in brackish water or by rubbish, trash bags or various household items.
A cat is also seen licking the water in the 31-second clip.
Stressing that AVS takes all animal welfare-related cases seriously, its group director Jessica Kwok said it would take enforcement action against those who fail to provide adequate care for their pets, or otherwise have committed animal cruelty.
She said, “Being a pet owner is a lifelong commitment, and owners must be responsible and provide appropriate care for the animals.
“Pet owners are reminded to fulfil the standard of care for their pets, ensuring the pet’s shelter is safe and providing suitable food and water regularly.”
The cats are currently under the care of AVS, she added.
Describing the cats’ condition upon rescue as “poor”, Cat Welfare Society (CWS) President Thenuga Vijakumar said there were no signs of any food or clean water in the house.
She said the animal welfare group was alerted to the situation on August 18 by an officer from the Tanjong Pagar Town Council, who requested to conduct a joint inspection the following week.
Upon reviewing the case, CWS’ community engagement manager realised that the cats’ owner had requested assistance on August 10, when the pipe burst. “As CWS does not have a shelter or rescue function, we requested assistance from SPCA,” Thenuga added.
In its Facebook post on Wednesday, SPCA said its officers visited the unit on August 18 evening, together with CWS representatives. They were allowed to enter the flat only past midnight on August 19.
“The situation was so dire that we immediately alerted the authorities to seize the cats so that they could receive urgent medical care,” said the post. “The cats could have faced life-threatening consequences if we had not attended to them in time.”
Expressing concern for the cats’ health, SPCA Executive Director Aarthi Sankar said, “Upon clearance of all health checks, we are committed to supporting the authorities with their rehoming.”
