Man arrested after allegedly slamming innocent tuxedo cat against a wall at Ang Mo Kio Blk 645

The man believed to be connected to this case of animal cruelty was arrested two days after a report was made.

Alfie Kwa | December 30, 2021, 07:05 PM

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Ang Mo Kio residents have seen a fair share of community cat abuse cases over the past few years.

While the culprit behind the previous incidents was eventually arrested and jailed, the neighbourhood appears to remain unsafe for the cats.

Another case of cat abuse was reported at Ang Mo Kio North Avenue 6 this month.

The incident took place on Dec. 27, leaving a female tuxedo cat with fractures in her leg.

What happened?

On the late night of Dec. 27, Facebook user Winnie Tan wrote that a man was seen getting out of his car, grabbing a community cat called Socks by her tail and swinging her against a wall.

After abusing the cat, the man, who parked his car at a pick-up point, went back to his car and drove off.

The incident happened at Ang Mo Kio North Avenue 6 Block 645 at about 5am on Dec. 27.

Tan added that witnesses identified the abuser to be a young Chinese male.

Socks went hiding, was traumatised

Socks is known to be tame, gentle and friendly to the cat-loving residents.

Tan said that the residents who take care of Socks could not bring her to get immediate care as she ran away to hide.

"Socks is in pain and still hiding somewhere. She must be very traumatised after this horrible abuse," said Tan in her post.

A fellow community cat feeder, called Uncle Peter, said that Sock's face was bleeding and that her jaws, face and head could possibly be fractured.

They eventually located Socks hiding in a nearby school – Yio Chu Kang Secondary School.

Tan and other residents then went to the school to lure her out and eventually managed to capture her and bring her to a vet.

Injuries

After a consultation at Mount Pleasant Veterinary Centre, Socks was found with fractures on her left front leg, an old fracture on the hind leg, a canine tooth fracture and a small cut on her upper left lip.

Socks also had dried up blood on her lower lips and front paws.

Image via Ning Wong/FB.

Image via Ning Wong/FB.

Image via Ning Wong/FB.

Image via Ning Wong/FB.

"I received a call from the vet this morning. Socks is still crying since last night. She is in pain," Tan said.

Despite the painkillers, Socks endured unbearable pain and refused to eat or drink.

Donations poured in to help cover Sock's medical bill

Another concern was covering Sock's medical and hospitalisation bill which amounted to about S$7,000.

Tan shared:

"According to the vet, the estimated cost for her front leg surgery is about S$4,500 to S$5,000. Surgery will be done by their bone specialist. Hospitalisation, daily boardings, GA, IV drips, painkillers, medications, set up of IV pump, and etc will cost another $1,500 to S$2,000. The total estimated amount is from S$6,000 to S$7,000."

Tan had to cover the deposit of S$4,000 for Socks' surgery scheduled on Dec. 30. With S$300 in her bank, she sought the public's help to raise funds for Socks.

Thankfully, donations flooded in with the help of a community cat rescuer known as Ning Wong on Instagram:

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Ning Wong (@catlady_ning)

Within a day, they managed to pool in the funds and Socks was able to proceed with her scheduled surgery today (Dec. 30).

In the latest update, Tan also shared that Socks' surgery was a success.

Culprit arrested two days after report was made

The Animal & Veterinary Service (AVS) told Mothership that they were alerted to the alleged case of animal mistreatment at Block 645 Ang Mo Kio on Dec. 27.

AVS said that a man believed to be connected to the case was arrested two days later on Dec. 29.

They added:

"Investigations are ongoing and we ask the public to allow it to run its proper course. We thank the public for their concern."

The Cat Welfare Society highlighted in an Instagram post:

"The speed of arrest, in this case, shows us the importance of quickly making a report to the relevant authorities, having or providing sufficient evidence (photographic and/or video-graphic) and having a dedicated investigation and enforcement team looking into animal-related matters to investigate such reports."

The public can play a part by promptly reporting suspected cases of animal cruelty to AVS via their website or calling them at 1800-476-1600.

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Top image via Wawa Wahia/FB and Winnie Tan/FB.