Cat found 8 days after going missing in Gardens by the Bay, owner 'very thankful' to over 50 members of public who helped

Bravo, the ginger cat that went missing at Gardens by the Bay on May 10, has been found by his owners, Shermaine and her husband, over a week later.

Around midnight on May 19, he was spotted by Shermaine's aunt about a 10-minute walk away from where he went missing near Bayfront Plaza.

As the three-year-old cat was behind a gate in a private area of the park, Shermaine called a professional cat trapper over to set up a trap, and nearly an hour of coaxing later, they caught Bravo safe and sound.

How Bravo got lost

It was an emotional eight days for Shermaine and her husband, from the moment Bravo unexpectedly leapt out of his bag and ran away.

Recalling how it happened, Shermaine told Mothership that the couple had brought Bravo to Gardens by the Bay that day, both to celebrate Mother's Day and to get something from a store in the park.

It was the cat's first time in the park, and the couple was trying out a new harness for him.

Shermaine believes Bravo was spooked by some children, causing him to jump out of his bag, as children would use to scare him in the void deck when he was a stray cat.

It happened so suddenly that Shermaine and her husband panicked and could not grab onto him. He wiggled out of his leash and ran into the bushes.

The community coming together

The idea of losing Bravo was very hard for Shermaine, who said he had been a comfort to her during tough times.

Determined to find him, she and her husband went to Gardens by the Bay every day to look for him, even staying overnight at times.

But the size of the park posed a problem.

"To be honest, it felt really hopeless," she said. "I mean, it's so big — the place is so big. Any small bush, he can hide, because a cat can just squat down, and then you can't see him anymore."

What kept her going was the support from members of the public.

More than 50 people, many of them cat owners, reached out to offer encouragement, advice from when they found their own lost pets in the past, and even equipment to help locate Bravo.

They lent her surveillance cameras to set up around the park, and waterproof boots so she could look for Bravo in the mangrove areas.

Shermaine also found the professional cat trapper on the recommendation of a fellow cat owner.

Some also joined the search at Gardens by the Bay, including late into the wee hours of the morning, and in secluded areas of the park.

Many of them coordinated their search plans in a Telegram channel that Shermaine had created.

"Every night there are different people like texting us to say, 'We are here, we are helping to look for him in the park," Shermaine said.

"They just gave me a lot of hope and...told me it's possible we will find him."

Grateful

Their help and dedication moved her to tears. She felt "very thankful" for the kindness they showed her.

"It doesn't matter if the camera was expensive, or it's their [personal] time after work when they can rest — they chose to come to the park," she said.

"It was honestly very touching because so many people who didn’t even know Bravo personally still chose to care and help in their own ways."

She also expressed thanks to Gardens by the Bay, whose staff allowed her to put up missing posters and provided some assistance in the search, too.

Recovery

When Bravo was found, he was not only looking tired and shabby, but also had a few minor wounds around his eyes and on his paws.

As advised by the vet, Shermaine and her husband will take him to get a blood test about two weeks later, after his body has regulated.

Being lost in a park for so many days does create some health risks for Bravo, particularly because he has feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV), which typically leads to a weaker immune system.

This virus was a concern when Shermaine was considering adopting Bravo, but she quickly realised that it should not be one, and now she has been trying to raise awareness about cats with FIV.

"Cats like [Bravo] deserve a second chance," she noted, saying they are the "hardest" to get adopted as people might not want a cat with an underlying problem.

A point underscored by her trapper, who said a concern could be if cats are unable to get along and end up fighting, as FIV is mainly spread through deep bite wounds.

However, if the cats bond well and there is no aggression or fighting, FIV-positive cats can still live peacefully with non-FIV cats.

Apart from the possibility of infections, Shermaine also worries about Bravo's emotional state after this incident.

He has been crying and meowing a lot more than usual, she said.

While finding different ways to give him reassurance, she also believes that she needs to give him space and time to recover.