SPCA Will Take Enforcement Action Against Culprit Who Abandoned Cat Outside Gate
While pets can be cute, they’re also a responsibility for life, and some people may not realise that.
When it gets too much, they may choose to abandon them.
Unfortunately, one cat was left outside the gate of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA).
Source: SPCA Singapore on Facebook
They managed to get the suspected culprit’s licence plate number and will take enforcement action.
Abandoned cat found outside SPCA gate at 3am
In a Facebook post on Friday (13 Jan), SPCA Singapore said an incident on Thursday morning perturbed them.
At about 3am that day, their staff was returning to SPCA’s premises on Sungei Tengah Road after a routine night trapping.
They found a cat in a cage outside their main gate, presumably abandoned.
The poor animal was shaking in fear, they said. It was also hiding.
Source: SPCA Singapore on Facebook
Judging from the cage and its contents, including the food bowl with food, the cat was formerly somebody’s pet.
Source: SPCA Singapore on Facebook
Person who abandoned cat caught on CCTV
Perhaps unbeknownst to the person who left the cat behind, SPCA has CCTV cameras set up outside their gate.
They thus managed to get footage of a person leaving the cage outside their premises.
Next to the person was a red van, presumably used by them to get to the location in the wee hours of the morning.
Suspected culprit’s licence plate number captured by SPCA
SPCA said they were able to capture the person’s vehicle licence plate number from their footage.
They will thus be taking the “necessary enforcement actions” with support from the authorities.
Under the Animal and Birds Act, owners found guilty of abandoning an animal without reasonable cause or excuse can be fined up to S$10,000 or jailed for up to 12 months, or both for the first offence.
Subsequent offences will incur higher fines and longer jail terms.
Animals discarded like unwanted furniture during spring cleaning: SPCA
SPCA noted that more pets get abandoned when households undergo spring cleaning, like the current pre-Chinese New Year (CNY) period.
They said that “animals are discarded like unwanted furniture” during this time.
The organisation usually gets a roughly 20% increase in requests from pet owners to give up their animals.
Owners have responsibility to rehome their pets
SPCA reminded the public that getting a pet is a huge commitment and shouldn’t be taken lightly.
Thus, while they encourage pet adoption, they also urge the public to do their research on the amount of time, money and patience needed to own a pet before getting one.
So if people find that they’re unable to take care of their pets for personal reasons, they should assume the responsibility of rehoming them instead of simply abandoning them.
The SPCA can help find a good next home for pets via their rehoming page at spca.org.sg/services/rehoming.
Ultimately, a pet is for life, said SPCA — so you should jolly well have a very good reason to let your pet go.
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Featured image adapted from SPCA Singapore on Facebook.
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