Last week, a TikTok user accused a cat café in Geylang of neglecting its seven felines, citing several reasons for their allegations.
The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) has confirmed they received several reports about the matter.
Upon visiting the premises, the organisation noticed concerning signs of compromised welfare.
More than half of the seven cats appeared malnourished, and there were also inadequate resources in the free-roaming space.
Posting to TikTok, Zoey shared that the cat café in question was Dessert Times @ I Love Cat Café, located in Geylang.
Speaking to MS News, she said that her visit was on 14 Feb at around 7.30pm.
She decided to visit the café as it had received good reviews on the social media platform Lemon8 and had a 4.3 star rating on Google — only to find that the positive reviews did not reflect the reality of the situation.
Upon entering the café’s premises, Zoey observed that the space was poorly ventilated with dusty and dirty cat tunnels.
Zoey then described the playroom that housed the cats as “cramped”, barely fitting two adults.
Source: TikTok
Despite this, the café had squeezed seven cats into the area. Zoey noted that the kittens were particularly skinny.
“[We] could feel their bones,” she said. “Some didn’t like to be petted and looked depressed.”
Zoey also pointed out the dirty floor — allegedly covered in kibbles and excrement.
Additionally, the furniture was in poor condition and the cat tower looked worn down and unstable.
Source: TikTok
“How is this safe?” she asked, showing a snippet of the cat tower wobbling while a feline climbed it.
She noted having to play with the cats using a necklace, as there was only one toy.
“[The] older cats look sad and uninterested,” Zoey noted, adding that one of the kittens had bald patches, with another flinching when petted.
Source: TikTok
Zoey then recounted an incident whereby a kitten had gotten “stuck” and defecated on the floor. Staff responded by locking it up and closing off the playroom.
She also showed multiple Google reviews, whereby other customers had alleged that the employees were assaulting the cats.
Source: TikTok
“Please do your research before supporting animal establishments,” Zoey urged.
“Don’t go just because it looks cute. There are better cat cafes that care for their cats’ wellbeing.”
Speaking to MS News, Executive Director of SPCA Ms Aarthi Sankar confirmed that the organisation had received several reports on the neglect of cats at the I Love Cat Café.
SPCA visited the premises on 26 Feb and noticed concerning signs of compromised welfare.
“More than half of the seven cats present looked malnourished,” Ms Sankar said.
“Five of them were allowed to roam the space, while the remaining two shared a single cage.”
The cage did not have a water source inside, and Ms Sankar said the litter box was soiled as well.
“In the free-roaming space, resources were also inadequate as the five cats shared three litter boxes and one water bowl,” she added.
“The cat tree was unstable, and the tunnels were dirty and covered with fur.”
She also noted that after closing for the day, the café limits ventilation to one fan with no openings for exchange of air.
Defining neglect as a failure to meet basic needs, Ms Sankar said that the SPCA considers it a breach of animal welfare standards.
SPCA and an independent rescuer returned to the café on 27 Feb after speaking with the management of the café.
The rescuer took in six of the cats, which was the maximum she could accommodate. Two of them were in poorer health and needed immediate veterinary attention.
The responsibility for rehoming the remaining feline, Ms Sankar said, would fall under the café owner.
“We will maintain close contact with the owner to ensure that this is followed through,” Ms Sankar stated.
MS News has reached out to the café for more information on the matter. The café did not respond to enquiries.
Also read: Domestic helper seen abusing poodle before its death, AVS investigating incident
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Featured image adapted from TikTok.
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