At least 30 cats are being hoarded inside a flat in Choa Chu Kang, with the stench from within strong enough to be detected from outside.
The unit is located in Block 16 Teck Whye Lane, reported Shin Min Daily News.
Source: Google Maps
A neighbour named only as Mr Wang (transliterated from Mandarin) told Shin Min that a couple lives in the unit, which is near his.
The 40-year-old restaurant owner estimated that they had at least 30 cats but “don’t take good care of them”.
As their faeces isn’t cleaned up, the stench from the flat in so strong that it can be detected from the corridor, as well as upstairs and downstairs, he said.
When reporters visited the flat on Thursday (9 Jan), its door was open but iron grille was locked.
While nobody was at home, at least 20 cats of different sizes could be seen inside the unit.
They gathered at the door when they saw a person there, meowing as if wanting to be fed.
Source: Shin Min Daily News
Several kittens aged a few months old were seen inside the unit. One of them lay on the floor, appearing to be sickly.
A bad odour also wafted out from the dwelling.
One of the cats even climbed up the grille, as if it was trying to escape.
Source: Shin Min Daily News
When reporters visited the flat again on Friday (10 Jan), the same observations were made.
No residents were seen in the unit for those two days.
A neighbour told the paper that a couple in their 30s lived in the unit, having moved in about three years ago.
However, the husband is believed to be in jail and his wife hasn’t been seen for three days.
The woman would occasionally return to feed the cats, he said, but sometimes the cats would leave the flat to look for food.
Once, they even entered his flat, he added.
A stallholder at a coffee shop in the block said three of the cats came to her coffee shop a few days ago, looking hungry.
But they had to chase them away as animals are not allowed in the coffee shop.
That wasn’t the first time they’ve come looking for food, she added.
Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) executive director Aarthi Sankar told Shin Min that her inspectors had visited the unit twice so far.
They observed about 30 cats inside and they were all sharing the same litter box, which could explain the smell.
Though the grilles are covered with wire mesh, there are still gaps for the cats to squeeze through, she said.
SPCA cannot enter private premises without consent. On Thursday, they couldn’t enter the unit as the owner was not present.
After being told that the resident was usually around before 7am, they went there again on Friday at 6.30am but to no avail.
On their second visit, however, they noticed that a letter they had left the day before was gone, indicating that someone might have returned to the flat.
The lights, fans and windows were also open but there was no sign of the flat owner.
Ms Sankar said she has contacted HDB to arrange for a discussion with the owner about the cats.
Also read: Bukit Batok Resident Allegedly Hoards About 10 Cats, Faeces Strewn Around HDB Flat
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Featured image adapted from Shin Min Daily News and Google Maps.
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