Two new cases of cats found dead in Yishun
The two cats found dead in Yishun shared by the Yishun 326 Tabby cat Facebook page on Thursday (Feb 9)
SINGAPORE — After a lull, two more cases of cats being killed violently in Yishun emerged on Thursday (Feb 9): One was found with its throat slit and the other with its body covered in blood.
Both cases were reported by cat welfare group Yishun 326 Tabby Cat on its Facebook page.
One cat was found lying on the ground behind the Khoo Teck Puat Hospital, its white fur matted with blood.
Ms Veron Lau, a committee member of the Cat Welfare Society, said: “There are no slit marks and no punctured wounds on the cat. There’s only evidence of trauma instead. This is still under investigation. It may have been hit by a car, but the cat carcass was found in the middle of the park.”
Calling it a “horrible day” for all cat lovers in Yishun, the Yishun 326 Tabby Cat group said it was the second case of a cat death in the same location — the earlier case involved a cat with its stomach slit open.
“We plead (to) all to keep a lookout for suspicious persons in the neighbourhood. AVA (Agri-food and Veterinary Authority of Singapore) is on the scene together with its caregivers,” the group wrote.
Earlier in the day, the group posted a photograph shared by Facebook user Fadillah AR, showing another cat lying on a road divider, with Ms Fadillah saying her cousin had come across the cat with its throat slit near Yishun MRT Station. It is not clear when the cat died.
Ms Lau said: “The carcass (of the cat) ... cannot be found. (Volunteers) rushed down to the scene after members of the public reported, but didn’t see anything.”
When contacted, the AVA told TODAY that it has collected the carcasses of both cats as part of its investigations.
Yishun has been hit by a spate of cat deaths in the last 18 months, but fewer cases surfaced following enhanced enforcement, with volunteers conducting patrols while the authorities investigated the cases.
One man, Lee Wai Leong, was arrested and charged in December 2015 for flinging a cat over the parapet of the public housing block where he lives.
The 41-year-old, who suffers from moderate intellectual disability, was sentenced to 18 months’ probation in June last year for animal cruelty.
Residents in Yishun were sad to hear of the latest cases.
Ms Hadijah Bee, 57, a service staff, said the culprit should be caught quickly: “When we read the newspaper or see this on the news, we wonder who is behind it.”
Her co-worker, Ms Jaleha Abu, 43, said: “We should find out why they are doing this to the cats.”
Another Yishun resident, housewife and pet lover Jeslyn Ho, 33, said: “If I happen to (witness) this type of thing — see anyone torturing or abusing (animals) — I will step forward and stop them.” ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY JEONG HONGBIN AND FARIS MOKHTAR
Members of the public who have information on these cases as eye-witnesses, or have photographic or video evidence, should contact AVA at 1800-4761600. All information provided will be kept in strict confidence.
