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Caretakers: Why did SPCA put down cat without contacting feeders?

Published

10 years ago

on

tri colored cat

Com-Bok in her shelf

Three weeks ago, a tri-coloured cat named Com-Bok was picked up by Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) following a call from the public. The “rescued” cat was deemed to be too sick by a vet engaged by SPCA and put to sleep the very next day.
However, for several days and nights, Com-Bok’s owner and another caretaker went searching for the missing cat. The two women have been caring for Com-Bok for years and would bring the cat to the vet whenever she was not too well. They described Com-Bok as a very quiet, tame cat that never posed a nuisance.
One of the caretakers, Karen came to know later from the caretaker that the cat was missing, called SPCA and found out what happened to Com-Bok after she was caught by SPCA on 2 October.
She sent a letter to SPCA to clarification on why was the cat put to sleep without contacting the cat caretakers in the area, despite SPCA having four contact names of caretakers in its database.
She also questioned why the team failed to assess the environment first before removing Com-Bok, as it would have indicated that the cat is not a stray but had someone looking after it. She added that the owner and the caregiver were heartbroken over the incident.
In her email to SPCA, she described how Com-Bok was taken care of.

The Malay owner set up a 3-level shelving shoe rack just outside his unit and laid newspapers on the 1st or 2nd shelf for the cat to sleep, and even hung a towel round the rack to shield off the sunlight or rain.
The 3rd upper shelf was reserved for stacks of newspapers. On top of the rack, there was a small food container of kibbles. Not far from the rack and also outside the owner’s flat, there was a water container too.
The caregiver and owner would feed the cat, change the soiled newspapers and replace fresh water every day. I covered the feeding for this cat whenever Aunty went on holidays. The surroundings certainly indicate that the cat was well taken care of. One of her eyes was blind and she did not look too well, but she has been like that for years. The cat always had good appetite.

SPCA did not reply to Karen even after three weeks as they had assumed she would have read the reply in the comments on their Facebook page, made in response to angry online users about incident:

SPCA received the emergency call on the night of Thursday 2 Oct 2014, at about 8.40pm, from a concerned member of the public who reported seeing a cat to be “sick, lying on the ground, eyes appear(ing) infected” in the Tanglin Halt area. We despatched our rescue officers to the location.

The rescue officers reached the location at about 9.40pm. Our rescue officers observed the cat, which was placed in a rice cooker’s container box, to be weak, with pus discharge from its nose and eyes. Our officers believed the cat to be in a dire situation that required IMMEDIATE veterinary attention and so rushed the cat to a vet who could attend to the animal (as our own clinic closes at 5pm). The veterinarian advised that the cat be humanely put to sleep in view of its condition.

Clarification on the assertions made in the relevant FB post is necessary. The fact is, the cat was NOT picked up outside the Malay owner’s unit; it was found IN a rice cooker box at the pavilion, several metres away from the Malay owner’s unit. It therefore is not accurate to assert that the cat was picked up outside the Malay owner’s unit.

A second clarification is necessary – the cat was found to be NOT microchipped, thus we were not able to notify an owner, or determine if it belonged to anyone. We note that the cat was not kept indoors if indeed it belonged to someone, as SPCA has always advised cat owners to microchip their cats and keep them indoors all the time.

We are determined to take all necessary measures and precautions to prevent a recurrence, and thank all for their concerns and feedback.

A witness of the incident, Celeste Chong also posted on the comment thread:

“The lady who informed SPCA about the cat had found it struggling up the staircase leading to the main road on her way home from her evening jog. She had spent at least 15min observing the cat and asked around (including asking me) if we knew where the cat came from n if its owner was nearby but to no avail. She subsequently left the site n came back 10min later after telling us she had contacted SPCA for assistance (by which time the cat had already struggled its way to the middle of the main road) n we had to stop oncoming traffic from running it down. According to her, SPCA had offered to send rescuers ASAP n requested for her to stay with the cat. As she was not able to do so, SPCA had advised her to barricade the cat to prevent it from venturing onto the main road again n endangering its life, explaining why it was in a box as she had gone home to look for an empty box. Effort was also made to put the box under a sheltered bush so the cat was not in harm’s way before rescuers came. Though she had asked us to stay with cat in the box as long as we could, we were not able to do so as we had to leave for the airport.”

32 tanglin halt

32 Tanglin Halt Road – Google Maps

Both the caretaker and Karen did not believe that the cat will go onto the road. In addition, Karen noted that the SPCA staff manning the hotline when she first called had mentioned the shoe rack, and asked her to write about the incident. This does not gel with the witness’s account of Com-Bok being found near the road.
Furthermore, according to Karen, the cat would always linger just outside her owner’s flat at the ground floor and never venture beyond the doors. She also had other accounts that indicated Com-Bok would usually eat her meal and then jump back to the show rack, and that it was impossible for the cat to go onto the road.
In the response to TOC’s enquiry, SPCA said that they had no way to determine if the cat belongs to an “owner” or if it was a community cat.

“We have investigated and found internal processes wanting in terms of not contacting feeders on the ground in a timely and effective manner – even if we had, at that time, no way of determining whether the cat belonged to an ‘owner’ or if it was a community cat. Nonetheless, we are determined to take all necessary precautions and measure to prevent another incident from happening”. – Corrine Fong, Executive Director of SPCA

However, according to one comment on SPCA’s Facebook page, this incident does not seem to be the first case where cats are put to sleep without making due effort to contact caretakers.
spca cat
“We are still very upset that SPCA did not make any efforts to contact any of the registered caregivers in this area before killing the cat,” said Karen. “SPCA put down animals too easily. Doesn’t SPCA has guidelines to follow before putting an animal to sleep? The public should be made aware that SPCA will never ever treat an injured or sick cat.”

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Reddit user alleges brother-in-law secretly recorded her showering, asks for advice on what to do

A Reddit user recounted the disturbing experience of catching her brother-in-law secretly recording her while she showered. Despite her family’s efforts to dissuade her, she allegedly proceeded to file a police report. Netizens rallied behind her decision, affirming that she made the right choice.

Published

24 hours ago

on

12 September 2024

By

SINGAPORE: A Reddit user recently shared her troubling experience, seeking advice on whether she could report her brother-in-law for secretly recording her while she was showering.

In a post uploaded on Wednesday (11 Sept), she explained that she lives with her family, including her pregnant sister and her sister’s boyfriend, who are staying with them while waiting for their Build-To-Order (BTO) flat.

The incident occurred one night when she was showering in a bathroom with a faulty door. To avoid disturbing her family with the loud noise caused by locking the door, she left it unlocked.

During her shower, she heard knocking and tapping sounds from the bathroom door.

When she looked out through the sliding door that separated the wet and dry areas, she saw a phone peeking over the top of the door. Shocked, she quickly closed the sliding door.

Afterwards, she felt overwhelmed and debated whether to inform her family. She also feared that her sister might have been a victim of the same behaviour.

Seeking advice, she asked on Reddit whether she could file a police report, and how the police might handle the situation if evidence had been deleted or if her brother-in-law denied it.

Netizens urge user to report incident

In response to her story on Reddit, many netizens encouraged the user to report the incident to the police.

One user strongly urged her to make a police report, stating, “You will only be enabling the criminal to commit future crimes if you let it slide.”

They explained that the police would record her statement and possibly confiscate the suspect’s mobile device for forensic IT investigations.

The Redditor reassured her that even if the data had been deleted, it was still possible for the police to retrieve timestamps of recordings or detect suspicious activity, such as deleting files at certain times.

They added that lodging a police report would serve as a precedent if the suspect engaged in similar behaviour in the future. The user was also advised to confide in a trustworthy family member or friend for support when filing the report.

Another user mentioned that she did not need to leave her room to make a report, as it could be done via the police website using Singpass, or by calling 999.

Additionally, one user recommended contacting the AWARE hotline for victims of sexual assault, particularly if her family was not supportive.

User files police report despite family’s reaction

In a subsequent update, the user thanked netizens for their support and confirmed that she had informed her family and filed a police report.

She shared that her brother-in-law had contacted her mother, indicating he was aware of being discovered.

Despite this, the user expressed frustration with her family’s response.

Her sister suggested that informing the family was punishment enough for her husband, and her parents urged her to “calm down” and reconsider filing the report.

The user felt disappointed by their lack of empathy, suspecting cultural norms may have influenced their reaction.

Netizens support user’s decision

In further responses, many netizens backed her decision to report the incident, assuring her that none of the blame rested on her.

One user praised her for being brave and doing the right thing by reporting the incident to the police, noting that “saving face” is a common cultural practice.

They added that the family should realise the true fault lay with the brother-in-law, describing him as a “pervert” and stating that no one should side with such behaviour.

Others reassured her that the family was already damaged by her brother-in-law’s behaviour, and that she had made the right choice.

A user expressed relief that she had filed the report, advising her not to feel guilty or be swayed by her family’s attempts to dissuade her.

They pointed out that many cases go unreported due to the desire to “save face” or “give someone a chance.”

The user added that her brother-in-law’s behaviour was likely not an isolated incident and praised her for taking the right steps to protect herself and others.

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TikTok video shows woman confronting 12 tenants in HDB flat, demands immediate eviction

A now-viral TikTok video shows a woman confronting tenants after allegedly discovering 12 people living in an HDB flat. She demanded they leave within an hour and called the police. While some praised the agent for enforcing HDB regulations, others felt the one-hour notice was too harsh, especially for migrant workers who might have come home after a long day. The current occupancy limit for four-room or larger HDB flats is eight people.

Published

4 days ago

on

9 September 2024

By

SINGAPORE: A now-viral TikTok video, with nearly 2 million views, features a woman, reportedly a property agent, confronting a group of tenants after allegedly discovering 12 people living in an HDB flat.

The woman, along with a person filming the scene, seemingly there for an inspection, is seen counting the tenants and questioning how many people are staying in the unit.

The one-minute clip, posted last Thursday (5 September) under the title “HDB unit being illegally sub-let,” captures the cameraman comparing the situation to “Crime Watch.”

The video alleges that 12 individuals are crammed into the flat, raising questions about whether this is allowed in Singapore.

While counting heads, the woman also inspects the rooms, revealing cramped conditions.

Clothes hang from window grilles, a thin mattress leans against the wall, and belongings are scattered across the floor.

At one point, the cameraman alerts her to someone in the toilet, visible as a shadow behind the door.

In the kitchen, she questions an occupant about a missing cabinet door, but he cannot provide a clear explanation.

In another room, visibly dissatisfied, the woman finds a dismantled bedframe propped against the wall and asks who is responsible for it.

Later, she sternly addresses some of the tenants, saying, “I give u one hour to pack your stuff, and get out of the place, if not I call the police.”

The video ends with a shot of a police car parked below the HDB block, but it doesn’t show or explain what happens next to the tenants or whether they were eventually evicted.

@homesinhd

Camera man feels like he is on Crime Watch. 12 pax squeeze in one flat in Singapore is crazy!! SG can meh? #realestate #realestatesingapore #singapore #crimewatch #police #exposed #caughtoncamera

♬ MILLION DOLLAR BABY (VHS) – Tommy Richman

In the comment section, some commended the property agent for taking responsibility by conducting spot checks to ensure tenants complied with HDB regulations.

However, others felt that the one-hour eviction notice could be too harsh for the tenants.

Several commenters speculated that the tenants, who appeared to be migrant workers, were likely unaware of the illegal subletting arrangement.

They may have paid rent, only to come home after a long day of work to find themselves being evicted.

In response to a netizen’s question about the illegal subletting, the admin of the TikTok account clarified that there were unauthorized tenants staying in the unit who were not registered with HDB.

The admin also mentioned that only six people are allowed to stay in four-room or larger flats, but some commenters corrected this information, noting that the maximum occupancy had been revised to eight.

Indeed, a joint press release in December 2023 announced that the occupancy limit had been increased from six to eight persons for three years, from 1 January 2024 to 31 December 2026.

This revised cap applies to four-room or larger HDB flats, including living quarters within HDB commercial properties that are comparable in size to a four-room flat.

The measure is intended to ease rental pressure, driven by the sharp rise in residential rents due to COVID-19 disruptions and increased rental demand.

However, authorities have also warned that they will strictly enforce the occupancy cap and may revoke rental approvals for homeowners who violate these regulations.

2019 Report Reveals Four-Room HDB Flat Housing 24 Tenants

In 2019, a report emerged alleging that a four-room HDB flat was housing 24 tenants, four times the maximum allowed by HDB.

The flat contained three double-decker bunk beds crammed into each bedroom, accommodating at least 18 people across the three rooms. One bedroom alone had eight occupants, and the living room was illegally partitioned into two additional rooms, rented to two couples, bringing the total to 24 tenants.

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