An apparent dispute between a landlord and tenant allegedly resulted in two cats being stuck inside a River Valley apartment for several days.
Rescuers said they tried for several days to get the cats out of the condominium apartment, but the landlord allegedly would not budge.
Eventually, on 7 Aug, the Animal & Veterinary Service (AVS) retrieved the cats.
The cats will be in the custody of AVS until investigations are complete.
They are checking if there had been any failure in duty of care.
According to Cats Of Marine Terrace, an expat family who stayed at The Central @ Suites in Devonshire Road had adopted two cats from them.
However, a dispute between the family and their landlord meant the cats became locked in the apartment since 2 Aug.
“All of a sudden the landlord decided to lock them out of the apartment and refused to allow them to take their cats or even feed their cats,” the page said.
The nature of the dispute is unclear.
By the date of the original post, 5 Aug, Cats of Marine Parade claimed on Facebook that the cats had been without food and water for four days.
The rescuers had reached out to AVS, SPCA, as well as the Singapore Police Force.
Meanwhile, the adopter also made a police report.
In an update on 6 Aug, Cats of Marine Terrace provided more context for the situation.
The adopter has paid rent promptly, and there had apparently been no contract infringement.
Even though the adopter called the police, there was no progress, and the cats remained stuck inside the apartment.
“It is unfortunate that they are not being treated as a living thing,” they said.
They also updated that both the police and security had helped to pour water and kibbles through the door gap.
On 7 Aug, the post was updated for a fourth time. This time, it said that AVS had taken the cats for safety reasons.
Source: Cats of Marine Terrace on Facebook
The police sent a report to the AVS, which then assisted to liaise with the landlord and tenant, who was the adopter.
AVS eventually took custody of the cats after the landlord and adopter were unable to settle custody.
According to the post, AVS brought the two cats out of the unit as of 5-6pm on 7 Aug. The cats were said to be looking healthy.
For the moment, the AVS officer agreed to house both cats together so they won’t feel too scared and alone.
However, until investigations and resolution, the adopter won’t be able to get his cats back.
Although they’re thankful to the authorities for their assistance, Cats of Marine Terrace are still worried about the cats as the adopter hasn’t seen the cats yet.
“The only good thing is we know and hope that they will be promptly fed and hydrated,” they said.
In response to media queries, AVS told MS News that “to safeguard the welfare of the cats”, AVS removed them from the unit on 7 Aug.
AVS said it is looking into whether there was any failure in duty of care.
Currently, the cats are under AVS’ care, and they were found to be in good condition.
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Featured image adapted from Cats of Marine Terrace on Facebook.
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