Community cat in Tampines West found dead next to rubbish bin, feeders appealing for witnesses

UPDATE on May 29 at 11am: This article has been updated to include a statement from NParks

A community cat in Tampines West was found dead, wrapped in plastic packaging and placed beside a trash bin.

A resident discovered Sunshine the cat at the void deck of Block 897 Tampines Street 81 at around 7am on May 24.

It was found wrapped in brochures and flyers inside a plastic packaging meant for toilet paper. There was blood on its paws and the brochures.

A white latex glove was also found among the debris.

Speaking to Mothership, one of Sunshine's feeders and a resident of the area, Victoria, said that one of her neighbours discovered Sunshine's body, which was still bleeding.

However, Victoria noted that there were no blood stains in the surrounding area.

They took the carcass to the vet, where it was determined that Sunshine suffered from blunt force trauma to the face/head region, resulting in internal bleeding.

While there were no other obvious bone fractures or injuries to Sunshine's body, its lower jaw was dislocated.

Victoria shared that the vet did not rule out abuse, but added that Sunshine could have sustained these injuries from a vehicle, a forceful hit on the head or a fall from height.

Appeal

Victoria told Mothership that all the feeders in the area were shocked by Sunshine's passing and are currently appealing for witnesses.

Sunshine was last fed around 9pm the night before.

"Feeders are shocked as Sunshine has been a lovable community cat. We are seeking for witnesses to reach out to us, so we can get closure on what has happened to him. [...]

Feeders would like to seek help to review the CCTV footages in the area (there are three cameras) to see if anything suspicious has been captured."

She added that Sunshine has been the community cat for about 10 years and was a joy to everyone in the area.

"He was a very friendly and mild-natured cat, who allows anyone to pat him."

Victoria shared that they plan to report the incident to the National Parks Board (NParks) once they receive all the medical reports from the vet, as well as file a police report.

"We are sincerely appealing for witnesses to reach out to us, if they know anything that may be related to Sunshine's death."

In response to Mothership's queries, National Parks Board (NParks) group director Jessica Kwok said it has received feedback on a cat found dead at a void deck in Tampines Street 81 and is looking into the matter.

Kwok urged the public not to speculate on the details of the case and to allow investigations to run its proper course.

"NParks takes all feedback received from the public on animal matters seriously."

Top photos via Victoria Lim