Severed cat: Don't jump to conclusions, says Cat Welfare Society CEO

By Alvin Chong

29 Oct 2014 20:41


The SPCA said the cat's death was "due to non-human factors, and instead very possibly the action of a dog, or a pack of dogs", but residents of Marine Crescent dispute this.

SINGAPORE: As debate swirls online over a statement by the Singapore Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) that a severed cat found in Marine Crescent, might have been killed by dogs - the CEO of Cat Welfare Society, Ms Joanne Ng, is urging the public not to jump to conclusions. “With photos it’s hard to judge,” said Ms Ng. “Let’s respect the facts."

The cat’s body was found, seemingly cut in half on Tuesday night (Oct 28). SPCA said upon examination, it found the “cat's death to be due to non-human factors, and instead very possibly the action of a dog, or a pack of dogs”. The SPCA made the statement in a Facebook post on Wednesday, only to take it down later.

Ms Ng also called upon the authorities to speed up the autopsy process “to give the public an answer”, asking: “If this is an abuse case, shouldn’t parents be worried?”



NO STRAY DOGS IN THE AREA

Residents of Marine Crescent told Channel NewsAsia it is unlikely that dogs attacked the cat. “I never see stray dogs around here” said Mr Eddy, a resident.

[So by that logic, he must have seen roving bands of maniacal, parang-wielding  cat-killers all around the estate.]

“I don’t agree it’s a dog,” said Mdm Grace Tan, fruit stall assistant who found the cat's remains. “I can’t even imagine it being a dog, I only see stray dogs along the beach.”

[If you can't imagine it, it can't be true. Good to know.]

Mdm Tan says the body of the cat was placed too neatly for it to have been a dog attack or a car accident.

“I’ve taken care of cats for so long so I’ve seen the ways they die,” said Mdm Tan. “She was covered with fallen leaves covering her middle area which was missing.” She found the cat’s internal organs a metre away, with loose fur spread out nearby.

[Well, that settles it then. She's a cat death expert. Not the damn SPCA.]

Mdm Tan, who owns multiple cats herself,  says the dead cat was one of the many she has been feeding in the area over the past five to six years. She calls it Ling Ling, short for “Darling”.

“I couldn’t find her at around 5.45pm,” said Mdm Tan. “She’s usually very responsive. I was walking to feed the other cats near Tao Nan School when I spotted her at 6.56pm. "I started crying right away”. She teared up again, when talking about Ling Ling. “She was like a piece of me … when I think of her I feel very hurt.”

[So you leave a piece of yourself wandering about in the open, only feeding it regularly? Hyperbole begets disbelief.]

Though affected by Ling Ling's death, Mdm Tan said she will continue feeding the cats in the area, rain or shine. “I hope to find more people to help take care of them,” added Mdm Tan. “They are good cats … I’m afraid more will get hurt.”

SPCA STANDS BY "NON-HUMAN INVOLVEMENT" FINDING

An SPCA spokesperson told Channel NewsAsia its original Facebook post was taken down, as the comments were "out of control". Also, the photo may not have captured the original state of the cat when it was found by the SPCA, the spokesperson said.

The SPCA stands by its finding that the cat was likely killed by a pack of dogs.

“We are strongly ruling out wilful human involvement, as there is no clear sign of the use of instruments such as a machete knife, or a chainsaw. It would be virtually impossible for a human being, or humans, to have caused that state of the cat, using other humanly means possible,” it said in a statement.

- CNA/dl

[People will believe what they want to believe
Truth does not interest them
Facts bore them
Logic will not convince them.]