S'pore man, 37, abandons 71 cats in flat for nearly 2 years, leading to 9 deaths - Mothership

Over 60 cats were found severely neglected in an unsanitary residential unit during a joint inspection in 2024 by the police and the Animal and Veterinary Service (AVS).

A total of 62 live cats were recovered, all later assessed to be in pain and distress, while nine cats ultimately died, according to the National Parks Board (NParks).

Muhammad Khairul Naim bin Zainol, now 37, who owned the unit with his ex-wife, admitted to ownership of all the cats and surrendered them to AVS.

On Sep. 23, he pleaded guilty to 24 charges for permitting the causing of unnecessary pain and suffering to 24 cats.

Another 47 similar charges involving the remaining cats were taken into consideration for sentencing.

He was sentenced to four months in jail and was disqualified from owning animals for 12 months, according to NParks.

Muhammad Khairul did not own any cats at the time when he and his then-wife bought the unit in Bukit Panjang in March 2018.

From early 2019, the couple began acquiring several cats.

As they were not sterilised, they "bred uncontrollably", according to court documents.

The couple tried to rehome some cats, but the number of cats in their house still kept growing.

Then, sometime around April 2022, they moved out to live with Muhammad Khairul's parents temporarily, but the arrangement later became long-term.

A few months after the couple moved out, they realised that the power and water supply to the unit were cut off due to the outstanding bills owed to the utility companies.

Muhammad Khairul later claimed that he initially returned to the house every day to leave dry kibbles and water for the cats, but it became increasingly difficult to enter the place.

He then resorted to placing food and water at the doorstep instead.

The last time he said he went into the unit was sometime in December 2023.

AVS and the police, who were separately alerted to the unit, arrived to inspect the place in the afternoon of Feb. 20, 2024.

That morning, AVS had received feedback about a cat seen on the air-conditioning ledge of the unit, appearing skinny and in distress. It was rescued by neighbours residing one floor below the unit before being taken to a vet clinic for assessment.

The police had received a call about a smell emanating from the unit.

Muhammad Khairul claimed that he visited the unit that morning to place dry food at the doorstep, which AVS officers saw when they arrived.

However, there was no fresh water supply inside the unit even though Muhammad Khairul said he provided a small container of water daily.

A few cats were seen roaming freely in the unit, with several of them hiding under the mattress or curtains.

The authorities also found decomposing carcasses and skeletal remains, which were identified as belonging to at least six cats.

In a photograph taken during the seizure and attached to court documents, a cat was observed drinking from the toilet bowl.

The floor around the toilet bowl was pooling with dirty brown water, likely contaminated with faecal matter, according to court documents.

The entire unit was found to be in a severely poor and unsanitary condition.

Court documents described the floor and furniture being caked in excreta and dirt, with more faecal matter found throughout the unit.

There were cobwebs hanging from the window grills, walls, and ceiling, and pests, including cockroaches and flies.

Although several windows were open, ventilation was poor, and there was a strong ammonia odour.

Some windows also posed a fall hazard as they were left open without any mesh.

There was also no power supply to the whole unit as it had been cut off since early 2023.

According to an NParks vet's report dated May 10, 2024, all 61 live cats discovered by the authorities in the unit had experienced pain and suffering.

Almost all of them were found to be dehydrated, and 44 were evaluated to be thin to very thin. Nine were emaciated.

The food provided was "wholly inadequate for the number of cats present", the vet said.

Dry kibbles were only provided once a day and placed near the door gate, requiring the cats to compete for food at a single feeding point. This would be highly stressful, and increased the risk of fights breaking out.

Most of the cats also had generalised hair loss over their bodies, which the vet believes was caused by parasitic infestation.

A few of them were also assessed to have mental and/or neurological abnormalities, likely due to low blood glucose levels.

Additionally, blood test results from selected cats showed they had inflammation, chronic disease, infectious and/or non-infectious disease processes, and anaemia.

One cat which was lethargic and feverish on physical examination subsequently died.

A pregnant cat was found in poor condition. She would have had inadequate energy for her to maintain normal physiological functions and for the foetuses to develop properly, the vet said.

The prosecutor from NParks argued that Muhammad Khairul was aware of the unsanitary and uninhabitable condition of the unit, but still left the cats unattended there for about 22 months from April 2022 to February 2024.

Despite his claims of returning daily to provide food and water daily, they were "clearly insufficient" for the number of cats in the unit, the prosecutor said.

He "did permit the causing of unnecessary pain and suffering to the said cats when he failed to exercise reasonable care and supervision" over them.

His ex-wife, who was also given 71 charges previously, will have her case heard on Oct. 6, CNA reported.