AVS identifies Sembawang resident who dumped 30 cats at void deck

SINGAPORE: The person who abandoned 30 to 40 cats on the ground floor of an HDB block at Sembawang Crescent has been identified after cat lovers managed to catch most of the felines set loose.

Facebook user Kelly Tan brought the issue to light on Thursday (May 11) in a post on the “Sayang Our Singapore’s Community Cats” Facebook page.

Posting photos of the abandoned cats, she said that the unsterilised cats were set loose by. their owner.

Ms Tan said she and a few volunteers caught the cats one by one despite the risk of getting bitten.

The group managed to catch 25 cats by Thursday and handed over 18 to the Animal & Veterinary Service (AVS) — a government organisation under the National Parks Board (NParks).

Ms Tan said in her initial post: “There are still cats on the loose. There were cats we saw but couldn’t trap. One of them, out of impulse, crossed through a heavy road. This is the fate you give your cats after abandonment takes place.”

Revealing that her group has involved AVS, SPCA, HDB and the Cat Welfare Society, Ms Tan added that they had no choice but to hand over most of the cats to AVS as it is not easy to find people to take them in at such short notice and each person needs to be screened one by one.

She added that her group will avoid turning over more cats to AVS as it has its own limits. AVS kindly took the cats in, although it typically requires one to two days’ advance notice, she added.

Sharing that investigations are ongoing, Ms Tan urged anyone who sees cats in the area to reach out for help.

Ms Tan has since updated her post, revealing that the owner of the cats has been found. She added that the issue has to be kept low-key from this point as the authorities have taken up the case.