News
S’pore couple spend up to S$1,600 a month feeding Bedok neighbourhood cats last 16 years
They said they are not cat lovers, but took pity on them.
September 25, 2026, 05:42 PM
Top images via thegivecollectivesg/Instagram
For more than 16 years, Cik Zie, 66, and her husband have spent their nights feeding community cats in the neighbourhood.
Each evening, the couple begin preparing food for the cats at around 6pm, before starting their feeding rounds at about 10pm.
Their routine was documented in a video by Singapore fundraising platform The Give Collective, which followed the couple for one night.
Cik Zie said the feeding rounds typically take two hours or longer to complete.
Cats wait for them to arrive
The couple split up during their nightly rounds to cover different areas of the neighbourhood.
“Uncle will feed the other side, Damai side,” Cik Zie said in the video, referring to the Bedok Reservoir estate.
By the time she makes her rounds, some of the cats can already be seen waiting for her.
Cik Zie said some of the cats she encounters were apparently abandoned in the neighbourhood.
“When they get abandoned, they get dropped off here,” she said. “Because they know here got feeder.”
She has also given names to some of the cats she looks after, including Molly, Dylan and Stokin.
Up to S$1,600 a month on food
Caring for the cats does not come cheap.
Cik Zie estimated that she and her husband spend around S$1,500 to S$1,600 a month on cat food.
About 80 per cent of the cost comes out of their own pockets, she said, while the remaining 20 per cent is supported by cat groups, friends and neighbours.
The couple also receives assistance from animal welfare group LUNI Singapore.
Cik Zie also cooks around 2kg of chicken each day for the cats, saying wet food alone was not enough to fill them up.
'Actually, I don't really like cats'
Despite having cared for the neighbourhood cats for more than 16 years, Cik Zie revealed that she does not consider herself a cat lover.
“Actually, I don’t really like cats,” she said.
Her husband apparently feels the same way.
“My husband also don’t like cats,” she added.
Asked why they continued feeding the cats despite not particularly liking them, Cik Zie said she felt sorry for them.
“Pity them ah. One night, you don’t feed, you cannot sleep,” she said.
She recalled going downstairs to check on the cats and seeing them waiting to be fed.
“I cannot lah. Because not their fault also,” she said.
Cik Zie added that some of the cats had previously been kept as pets before they got abandoned, leaving them without a regular source of food.
Returns at 4am to clear plates
The couple's work does not end after the cats have been fed.
At around 4am, Cik Zie returns to collect the plates left behind after the feeding.
She explained that she tries to clear them before sunrise and before birds get to the remaining food, which could create a mess.
She said she reuses the plastic plates, while disposing of the paper and biodegradable ones to keep costs down.
Hopes volunteers can help once a week
Cik Zie said she would appreciate having volunteers occasionally help with her feeding rounds.
“If they wish to help me out right, one week, once, enough for me already,” she said, adding that she could provide the food.
She also takes sick cats to the vet, with LUNI helping to cover veterinary expenses for some of the cats.
The Give Collective encouraged viewers to support LUNI’s fundraiser to help cat feeders, such as Cik Zie and her husband.
