Real-life Tom & Jerry: Rat chases cat at Hougang Central

SINGAPORE: “Our very own version of Tom & Jerry .. 🐈 & 🐀,” wrote a woman, possibly a resident, who goes by @floracindy1 on TikTok, shared her 11-second video clip that has gotten over 325,000 views since she posted it on Tuesday (Feb 21).

In it, a large brown rat can be seen running after a tuxedo-coloured (black & white) cat all over what appears to be a void deck. @floracindy1 identified the location as Hougang Central.

@floracindy1

Our very own version of Tom & Jerry .. 🐈 & 🐀

♬ Tom And Jerry Main Theme (From “”Tom And Jerry””) – Geek Music

At first, the cat was sitting near some pillars when the rat boldly ran up to it. And instead of the rat being afraid of the cat, the cat runs away, with the rat giving chase.

The TikTok user added the theme from Tom and Jerry as background music to the clip.

“tom and jerry in reverse,” commented one netizen, while another wrote, “Tom and Jerry new generation.”

“Real life Tom n Jerry,you were SO lucky to hve video(d) it,” another TikTok user said.

“This isnt tom&Jerry… Its Jerry&Tom!!!” one observed, while another commenter wrote that it was “Tom and Jerry in different universe.”

Some commenters, however, wrote that it appeared as though the two animals might be in a friendly chase.

“The cat’s tail is straight that means he’s happy being chased,” one observed.

“It really looks like they are friends,” another wrote.

Another TikTok user identified the cat. “HAHAHAH ITS THE KITLER CAT, always so scared but I love it,” he wrote.

A commenter called it “doraemon in real life.”

Research from 2018 says, however, that “contrary to popular opinion, cats are not good predators of rats. The study – the first to document interactions between feral cats and a wild rat colony – shows that rats actively avoid cats and only recorded two rat kills in 79 days. The findings add to growing evidence that any benefit of using cats to control city rats is outweighed by the threat they pose to birds and other urban wildlife.”

Except in Hougang, where a rat actively sought out a cat instead of avoiding it! /TISG

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