7 abused cats dead: $10k reward for info

Attacks in Pasir Ris
Aw Cheng Wei, Straits Times 20 May 08;

SEVEN vicious attacks on cats in Pasir Ris have prompted animal lovers to offer a $10,000 reward for information, and start patrols around the neighbourhood.

This sum of money has been pledged by SOS Animals, the Cat Welfare Society, the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) and an unnamed family in Aljunied.

The first attack was discovered on May 2, in Block 253 Pasir Ris Street 21. Two cats found dead there were believed to have been dunked in thinner.

A third cat found there, also dunked but barely alive, had to be put down.

The second discovery was at Pasir Ris Town Park on May 12. Residents found three cats dying of stab wounds. A fourth cat was dead, with a fractured jaw.

'We hope the public can be alert and help us keep a lookout for any suspicious characters,' said Ms Sandy Lim, founder of SOS Animals.

'Although we will do our best to patrol the neighbourhood, vicious acts like these can happen at any time,' she added.

SOS Animals began patrolling the Pasir Ris area last Friday. It will do so for about six nights a week, Ms Lim said.

But not many residents seemed to be aware of the attacks. Of the 50 Pasir Ris residents The Straits Times spoke to, 37 were clueless.

'We have a lot of cats in this area. At night, we can hear them and it can get quite loud,' Mr Cliff Ang, a Block 253 resident said.

Commenting on the $10,000 reward for information on the cat abuser or abusers, Ms Deirdre Moss, executive officer of SPCA, said: 'While there have been several calls, there is nothing concrete yet.'