Bukit Batok resident throws makeshift cat houses away over cleanliness concerns, slammed by netizens

Community cat houses removed from Bukit Batok estate by resident due to cleanliness concerns, MP discussing possible solution

Tensions have flared in Bukit Batok after a resident disposed of makeshift houses meant for community cats, following concerns about cleanliness in the estate.

On 17 Sept, Ms Rahayu Mahzam, Minister of State for Health and Minister of State for Communications and Information, made a house visit to a Bukit Batok East HDB block.

In a Facebook post, she described speaking to a frustrated resident who complained about the increasing number of makeshift cat houses in the estate.

He had expressed concerns about the tidiness and cleanliness issues brought by these cat houses, which had been set up by another resident.

Ms Rahayu stated that she had assured the complainant that her team would engage the cat-loving resident to discuss a solution.

Resident throws away makeshift houses made for community cats in Bukit Batok

However, before any solution was reached, the frustrated resident had taken matters into his own hands and disposed of some of the community cat items in the estate, the post said.

The cleaner, Mr Shah Alam, found the items and set the reusable ones aside for the cat-loving resident to collect.

Ms Rahayu praised Mr Shah Alam’s empathy and urged the public not to direct frustrations at the estate cleaners doing their jobs.

“Living in a community means we will sometimes have different preferences and approaches,” the Bukit Batok East Member of Parliament (MP) said.

“What matters is that we pause to think about how our actions, and even our reactions, affect our neighbours,” she added.

Cat-loving resident frustrated at cat houses being thrown away

Ms Rahayu’s visit comes after a Facebook post by Bukit Batok resident Deon Lee, who is behind the community cat houses.

On 12 Sept, she voiced her anger after finding one of the shelters tossed onto the grass in the rain.

She thus replaced the box with a newer one, but that too ended up being taken away.

Ms Lee said she spoke to a cleaning supervisor, who informed her that a fellow resident had disposed of the boxes.

She alleged that the frustrated resident even kicked the community cat items away.

The latest update came on 19 Sept, showing that the resident had allegedly thrown the new box onto a trash bin.

Netizens criticise complaining Bukit Batok resident

Netizens in the comments under Ms Rahayu’s post mostly sided with the community cat lovers.

One shared that the cat feeders are conscientious in clearing up food waste and keeping sleeping areas clean. Additionally, they claimed that the cats are friendly and don’t bother people.

Another user found that the cat houses shown in the photos were quite tidy and well-maintained.

As such, they suggested limiting the number of cat houses rather than removing them entirely.

MS News has reached out to Ms Rahayu for comments on the issue.

Also read: Man allegedly tries harming community cats in Lengkok Bahru & other locations, investigations ongoing

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Featured image adapted from Rahayu Mahzam on Facebook.