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Mei Ling Street cats & pet dog did not die from poison, cats died of 'chronic diseases': NParks
The Shiba Inu's owners said they're disappointed with the findings and said its death couldn't possibly be "natural" as it was "bleeding from everywhere".
![image](https://static.mothership.sg/1/2025/01/mei-ling-st.png)
An investigation into the deaths of seven community cats and a pet dog at Mei Ling Street between June and July 2024 concluded the animals did not die from poisoning, according to the National Parks Board (NParks).
Investigations commenced after NParks was first alerted to the cases in June 2024, where five supposedly healthy community cats were found either distressed or dead on the street.
A community cat caregiver previously told Mothership that she found pigeons and mynahs lying on the ground on more than one occasion near where she found the dead cats, leading her to suspect that the cats were victims of culling measures intended for pests.
Less than a month later, an 11-year-old family dog named Kuro died after it began vomiting and having seizures after nibbling crumbs found near dead pigeons in the same area.
In response to the findings, Kuro's owners told Mothership that they were disappointed and said that Kuro's death "definitely isn't natural" as it was "bleeding from everywhere".
No evidence that the cats and dog died from poisoning
Jessica Kwok, group director of enforcement and investigation at NParks, said collective findings showed no evidence that the cats and the dog died from poisoning.
The post-mortem examination for the first cat was conducted by SPCA.
The examination of four other cats was conducted by NParks, one of which was too decomposed to discern the cause of death.
The findings concluded that the cats' deaths were likely due to different underlying chronic disease conditions affecting the major organs, including renal, respiratory, and cardiac diseases, said Kwok.
Insecticide found in food samples but not substances used for culling
NParks interviewed the community cat feeder who reported the cases, the dog owner, the pest control operators, and the attending veterinarians to gather relevant information.
Investigators also reviewed CCTV footage in the area, conducted post-mortem examinations of the animals where possible, and considered the results of toxicology tests conducted by the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) on samples retrieved from the animals and food samples found near the area.
Food samples recovered near the area tested negative for toxicants found in the pigeon and rodent baits used by pest management companies operating here.
However, Methomyl, a chemical used in insecticides, was found in one of the food samples and some dead birds found in the area.
Kwok said the chemical was not found in toxicology tests on samples obtained from the dog and cats subjected to post-mortem examinations.
Further investigations on the cause of the birds' deaths found no conclusive findings showing that the birds were poisoned, she added.
NParks said they concluded investigations for the case. as there were no other reports of similar cases since Oct. 7 2024.
Pigeon culling method ceased since "the middle of last year"
A spokesperson for Tanjong Pagar Town Council (TPTC), which covers Mei Ling Street and Henderson Crescent, said they ceased the culling method in the middle of last year following the introduction of the pigeon management plan by NParks.
As a result, the Town Council has adopted the trapping method instead of culling to manage the pigeon population, they said.
The spokesperson added their pest control contractor had been instructed to no longer use the culling method, aligning with the Town Council's efforts in collaboration with NParks.
NParks clarified that the pilot programme was extended as more time was needed to carry out the management programme.
They are unable to share results as of now as it is still ongoing.
Kuro's owners "disappointed" with findings
The owners of Kuro told Mothership the family had been informed of the findings but were "disappointed", as she said Kuro's death "definitely isn't natural" and "he was bleeding from everywhere".
She also added that they brought Kuro for annual check-ups, and he was considered a "very healthy" dog.
They said Kuro was not old and did not have any chronic illnesses.
"Our family feels disappointed because what they claim and what we know does not align. Hence, it makes us more suspicious about the investigation," she said.
However, they also understand the difficulties of such investigations and do not plan to question them anymore.
They hope such scenarios will not happen in other neighbourhoods.
Top image via Ella and Susan Lee/Facebook
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