Bedok community cat dies in drain after heavy rain, suspected to have drowned
The downpour on the morning of 1 Sept brought tragedy with it in Bedok, where a community cat named Penny was found dead in a drain.
Ms Dawn Yap, a property agent in her 40s, told MS News that Penny, a male cat, always hung out around Block 133 Bedok North Avenue 3.
Image courtesy of Dawn Yap
He had been present for his morning meal, but when it came time for his evening feeding session, he was not at his usual spot.
Bedok community cat found dead in drain at 5.30pm
Concerned, Dawn and the feeder went to look for Penny and tragically found his lifeless body under a drain grate at 5.30pm.
Source: Dawn Yap on Facebook
She suspected that Penny fled into the drain to seek shelter during the heavy rain that broke out after his morning meal.
After being retrieved with the help of Town Council workers, they called a pet cremation company to collect his body and give him a proper send-off.
Source: Dawn Yap on Facebook
Penny described as ‘vocal and friendly’
Dawn recalled fighting back tears when she initially saw Penny’s body in the drain.
The heartbroken woman told MS News that the cat had just suddenly appeared at her HDB block a few years ago.
“He was a vocal and friendly cat,” she said.
“He will always meow loudly at you when you speak to him.”
Image courtesy of Dawn Yap
She also shared photos of Penny playfully rolling around on the void deck seating area.
“It’s so nice to just sit down with them,” Dawn said, emphasising the joy community cats brought others after a stressful day.
Image courtesy of Dawn Yap
The photos of Penny brought back memories for Dawn, including the time when she picked him up from the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) after treatment.
Dawn said that he had also been close to a female tabby cat she helped rehome.
Fatal incidents sometimes cannot be avoided
“I have come across many cases of community cats disappearing,” Dawn told MS News.
The community cat lovers would come across their bodies if they were lucky.
Although sometimes, feeders never get closure on what happened at all.
In her Facebook post, Dawn encouraged others to look in drains during or after rain, as cats sometimes seek shelter in them.
However, she acknowledged that such incidents cannot always be avoided.
“We can’t have eyes on the community cats 24 hours a day,” said Dawn.
Bedok woman hopes for more compassion towards community cats
Nevertheless, Dawn hoped the community could keep a closer eye on the cats, especially to protect them against harmful actors.
Image courtesy of Dawn Yap
She claimed that some people would destroy or soil cardboard boxes that feeders left as shelter, forcing cleaners to remove them.
Dawn also noted that some residents would wrongly blame community cats for dirtying the block when it was the “ghost feeders” who had thrown food on the floor instead of using paper plates.
Addressing Penny’s tragic end, Dawn highlighted the struggles faced by the homeless community cats.
Image courtesy of Dawn Yap
She hoped people could have more compassion for them, even by doing something as simple as educating their children to respect animals.
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Featured image adapted from Dawn Yap on Facebook and courtesy of Dawn Yap.
