White Marsiling community cat called 'Bai Bai' found coated in black oil, including ears & eyes, feeders suspect abuse

Around Jul. 26, feeders discovered that a white community cat in Marsiling was covered in black oil on its body, with oil inside its ears and on its eyes.

Concerned that the cat might have been abused by someone, the feeders have urged the authorities to investigate, Shin Min Daily News reported.

The cat, nicknamed "Bai Bai" (Mandarin for "white"), is about 10 years old, said a 62-year-old cat feeder surnamed Chen (transliteration).

Chen lives in Ang Mo Kio, but for eight to nine years now, has been travelling by bus often to Marsiling Industrial Estate to feed the cats there.

She told Shin Min that when she saw Bai Bai near Marsiling Industrial Estate recently, it could not even open its eyes due to the black oil.

Bai Bai was crying and looked very afraid at the time, she said. It would not let Chen and a fellow elderly cat feeder get close to touch it.

Possibly abused

According to Chen, some people speculated that Bai Bai might have accidentally got itself covered in the oil.

Chen believes that that might be possible if the oil was only on the cat's body, but there was also oil in its eyes and ears.

"Cats are not stupid," she said, and this made her suspect that it was the act of an abuser.

She and the other feeder have reported the incident to the authorities, and are waiting for the results of their investigation, she said.

She hopes that the perpetrator will stop after they are caught.

"Even if they do not like cats, I hope they won't hurt them," Chen said. "These cats were all abandoned by their owners. They are already so pitiful, and really do not deserve to be hurt again."

Receiving care

Chan and the other feeder raised some money and brought Bai Bai to see a vet, spending about S$1,095 on the medical fees.

After staying a night at the vet's, the cat appeared to be in better condition, though some black oil still remains on its body.

To prevent Bai Bai getting hurt again, Chan decided to bring it home to care for it.

According to her, there are currently 23 community cats at Marsiling industrial estate, though there used to be as many as 50.

Their numbers have gradually fallen due to dog bites and car accidents, she added.

Every month, she would spend about S$2,000 on food for these cats, and some more on their medical treatments.

Fortunately, other cat lovers have been donating canned food, and some have been willing to contribute towards the cats' medical bills.