5 community cats die at Mei Ling Street within a month, SPCA suspect poisoning from pest control

Some community cats at Mei Ling Street are suspected to have died from poisoning within a month.

A Mothership reader said that she and other community cat caregivers discovered the deceased cats on Mei Ling Street in June.

According to her, these cats were previously in the pink of health.

Two cats were found unwell, and one died on the way to the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) on Jun. 4.

At least two other Facebook posts dated Jun. 26 also showed several other cats, suspected to be victims of poisoning, either in distress or dead.

Apart from dead cats, the Mothership reader also noticed pigeons and mynahs lying on the ground on more than one occasion, leading her to suspect that the cats were victims of culling measures intended for pests.

She said that reports were made to the SPCA, Animal & Veterinary Service (AVS), and the National Parks Board (NParks).

In response to queries from Mothership, Tanjong Pagar Town Council said that they are working together with NParks to look into the deaths of the community cats at Blk 155 and 156 Mei Ling Street.

A total of 9 cats suspected to be poisoned: SPCA

In a statement published on their social media accounts on Jun. 28, the SPCA said they had received four cases involving nine cats from Mei Ling Street between Jun. 3 and Jun. 26.

SPCA suspect that the cats are victims of poisoning.

SPCA said, "These are likely to be poisons intended for other species classified as pests, e.g. pigeons or rodents."

Five of the cats have died, and the bodies have been handed over to the authorities for post-mortem examination.

The SPCA urged community cat feeders and members of the public to alert them at their emergency hotline (6287 5355 ext. 9) if they encounter similar cases in their areas.

They also urged pest control agencies and members of the public to consider "humane population control measures", claiming that culling measures have been shown to be "ineffective" and "indiscriminate as they may impact other unintended animal victims".

SPCA advocated for "humane control methods", such as removing their food sources and exclusionary measures, as an alternative.

Their full post here:

Top photo composite image from Susan Lee, Piry Lim/Facebook.