At the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, some started getting wary about their pets when cases of animals catching the virus emerged.
For one woman living in Marsiling, the fear of her cats spreading the virus allegedly overwhelmed her to the point that she abandoned all 4 of them at the void deck.
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On Wednesday (6 Jan), Channel NewsAsia (CNA) reported that she was sentenced to a $4,000 fine. She is also banned from owning pets for 6 months.
On 28 Mar last year at around 9pm, a passer-by caught sight of a woman with 4 cats in a cage.
According to CNA, she was seen releasing them at Block 31 Marsiling Drive, near the letterboxes.
Soon, the loud meows of the cats drew more attention.
Members of the public then confronted her about leaving her cats at the void deck.
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In response, the woman allegedly said she could no longer care for them, before leaving the scene.
Eventually, 2 of the cats were adopted by kind passers-by, and the others were taken in by Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA).
Subsequently, the National Parks (NParks) Board was alerted to the case.
It was then that the 45-year-old woman confessed about abandoning her cats, reported CNA.
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In court, she claimed that she made this decision out of worry that her family would get infected with Covid-19 through the cats.
On Wednesday (6 Jan), the woman was fined $4,000 and banned from owning pets for a period of 6 months.
Under the Animal and Birds Act, she was found guilty of 2 counts of intentionally abandoning an animal without reasonable excuse.
According to Yahoo! News, for each charge of abandoning an animal, she could have been jailed up to a year or fined up to $10,000, or both.
Back in March last year, the World Health Organisation (WHO) clarified that cats are susceptible to catching Covid-19 from humans.
However, the organisation does not believe pets play a role in transmitting the virus to humans.
Regardless of the circumstances, owners are responsible for their pets’ welfare, and should not abandon them for any reason. They deserve to be treated with equal respect and care.
At the end of the day, we hope the woman learnt a valuable lesson through this incident.
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Featured image for illustration purposes, adapted from Flickr and Google Maps.
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