Latest News

Father Makes Son Abandon Family Cat In Hougang Before Moving House, Fined S$2,000

Father Makes Son Abandon Cat At Void Deck In Hougang

As all fur parents would know, caring for a pet is a lifelong commitment and big responsibility.

Not only does it require an investment of time and money, one must ensure that they consider the costs and lifestyle factors before taking an animal in.

Source: little plant on Unsplash, for illustration purposes only

Sadly, some eventually find that the responsibility is too hard to bear and end up abandoning their pet.

This was the case for a 58-year-old man in Singapore, who told his son to leave their cat at a void deck before they moved to a new house.

For this, Chin Koh Sing was fined S$2,000 and disqualified from owning any pets for 12 months on Tuesday (4 Oct).

Father tells son to abandon cat before moving

According to TODAY, Chin’s daughter adopted the grey tabby cat, Felix, in 2018.

In June last year, the family was preparing to relocate to a new home. Chin then decided that his children would be unable to continue caring for Felix.

He did not want to bring the feline to their new residence and told his son to rehome it.

However, on the day of the move, his son was still unable to find a new owner for Felix.

Thus, Chin instructed him to release the cat at the void deck of Block 137 Lorong Ah Soo in Hougang.

 

Source: Google Maps

Fortunately, a passer-by caught Chin’s son in the act and alerted the National Parks Board (NParks).

Admitted to his offence

During the trial, an NParks prosecutor asked for a fine of S$2,500.

Considering that he was a first-time offender, the judge imposed a lower fine of S$2,000 instead and banned Chin from owning any animals for 12 months.

The judge added that the cat did not suffer any injuries and that this was a one-off incident.

In mitigation, Chin said that his daughter was depressed and attempted suicide. Subsequently, her brother started caring for Felix but was unable to commit to it fully as he worked late hours.

Admitting to his offence, Chin explained that he did not know how to care for a cat but acknowledged that he shouldn’t have told his son to abandon it.

Under the Animal and Birds Act, abandoning an animal without reasonable cause carries a jail term of up to 12 months and/or a fine of up to S$10,000.

Have news you must share? Get in touch with us via email at news@mustsharenews.com.

Featured image adapted from Pexels, for illustration purposes only.

Nicole Foo

Nicole thinks about Ya Kun Set C a bit too often.

Recent Posts

Water supply cut off at Woodlands block for more than 1 day, residents shower at swimming pool

Residents queued to collect water from taps in the void deck or PUB water wagons.

14 Nov 2024, 2:15 am

URL on ‘Wicked’ dolls’ packaging links to porn site, Mattel apologises for misprint

The misprinted boxes are now coveted items on eBay.

13 Nov 2024, 6:30 pm

‘It suits you’: Daughter in Thailand asks for car, dad gets her tuk tuk instead

And she named her new purple ride after a popular Thai rum.

13 Nov 2024, 6:01 pm

2 boys rush out of MRT to return laptop left by alighting passenger, praised for actions

They managed to run back onto the train in time.

13 Nov 2024, 5:29 pm

Croatian scientist treats own breast cancer with viruses she developed in lab, has been cancer-free for 4 years

During the treatment, her tumour substantially shrank and was later removed easily.

13 Nov 2024, 5:16 pm

Boy with autism in M’sia refuses to get his haircut, barber patiently plays with him

The barber played with the autistic boy until he was ready for haircut.

13 Nov 2024, 5:15 pm