A 31-year-old man who abandoned 43 cats in his Ang Mo Kio flat without food and water has been sentenced to 20 days’ jail.
Source: Court documents via TODAY
Two of the 43 cats had died from “stress and physical exertion”.
The accused was previously handed 44 charges under the Animal and Birds Act for inflicting unnecessary pain and suffering on the felines.
One count for failing to attend a scheduled meeting with the Animal and Veterinary Service (AVS) was also taken into consideration.
On Wednesday (24 April), 31-year-old Muhammad Danial Sukirman pleaded guilty to 10 charges of inflicting “unnecessary pain and suffering” on the felines, reported TODAY.
NParks’ prosecutors contended that sentencing Danial to a fine would be “far too lenient”.
They stressed that despite being aware of the extreme breeding conditions, he failed to upkeep the felines’ living conditions.
Moreover, the heavy soiling from the cats in the enclosed flat resulted in high concentrations of ammonia. This potnetially posed a health hazard to both cats and humans in the vicinity.
Back in January 2016, Danial and his wife moved into a flat along Ang Mo Kio Avenue 6.
While there were only three felines initially, the numbers started to balloon as the cats were unsterilised.
After moving to a new HDB flat in Yishun in July 2021, Danial left them alone in his previous place.
He also admitted that he did not revisit regularly to feed the felines.
Notably, he only fed them once a week from a bag of dry kibble. According to the prosecutor, this arrangement was “highly stressful” as the cats needed to compete for food.
They also did not have sufficient access to clean water, with the only water source being a tap which dripped onto the toilet floor.
Due to the poor living conditions, the 41 surviving cats were found to have gone through “pain and suffering”.
Danial was not represented by any lawyers. He expressed remorse for his offences and mentioned that he needed to return to work after he was released.
For each charge of causing unnecessary pain or suffering to a pet, he could have been jailed for up to 18 months, fined up to S$15,000, or both.
Also read: 2 cats among 43 left alone in Ang Mo Kio flat die, owner faces multiple charges
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Featured image adapted from court documents via TODAY.
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