A few pet cats were spotted hanging out together outside a HDB flat -- on the ledge and even on the clothes rack outside the kitchen window.

A video and several photos shared to a community cats Facebook page have caused heart palpitations among those who care for these felines.

Second storey

The unit is said to be on the second floor. No mention was made about where the flat was located in.

According to Ben Lim, the person who took the photos, there were four cats in total and the unit did not have window mesh to prevent the pets from exiting the apartment.

There appeared to be no one home at that time when the cats were spotted outside.

A note appeared to have been left at the unit informing the owner of the cats to mesh up.

Number of cats dying from falling from a height

According to a December 2016 report, a conservative estimate of five cats are found dead monthly after falling from a height.

This figure was provided by the Cat Welfare Society based on on alerts sent to it, as well as from posts on social media.

Moreover, about 95 percent of the cats killed in such a manner are pet cats rather than community cats that roam around the estate and are taken care of by designated feeders.

Mesh up

As part of their community outreach and education, CWS has always advocated for cat owners who stay in high-rise apartments to mesh up their windows at home to prevent such deaths.

SPCA (Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, Singapore) has also advised pet owners to mesh up.

What happens when a cat falls down and dies in Singapore

Typically, CWS finds out about cases of cats having fallen from a height via members of the public.

The town council will be alerted when they find a dead cat in their estate.

The town council then gets in touch with CWS to get the deceased cat removed, and the group's members will take photos and put up posters around the estate and post notices on social media to find the cat's owner or feeder, if it is a community cat.

The cat's caregiver will decide if the cat's body should be sent for an autopsy to determine its cause of death, or to get it cremated.

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