Average of 5 cats found dead monthly after falling from a height: CWS

Average of 5 cats found dead monthly after falling from a height: CWS
Posted 21 Dec 2016 21:12 Updated 21 Dec 2016 21:24
A cat rescued from a ledge (Screengrab of video courtesy of Richard Ng)

SINGAPORE: An average of five cats are found dead in Singapore each month after falling from a height and most of these are pet cats, the Cat Welfare Society (CWS) said, stressing the importance of home owners meshing up windows to prevent such deaths.

Speaking to Channel NewsAsia on Wednesday (Dec 21), CWS committee member Veron Lau said the estimates are based on alerts sent to CWS, as well as from posts on social media.

About 95 per cent of the cats killed in such a manner are pet cats rather than community cats which roam around the estate and are taken care of by designated feeders, said CWS senior outreach manager Laura Ann Meranda. Typically, when a cat has fallen from a height, there will be blood around its mouth, wounds on its back, and its chest will be compressed in a certain manner, she added.

"We usually do not classify (such cases) as abuse unless there is a witness as it would be speculation, but blunt trauma at jaw and chest is usually ascertained to be fallen from height - thrown or otherwise," said Ms Lau.

Last week, a resident in Marsiling alleged that her pet cat was thrown from a block of flats, in a "senseless act of violence" by an unknown perpetrator. The Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority has said it is investigating.

CWS' Ms Meranda said generally, it is difficult to tell if a cat fell by itself, or was thrown from a high spot, but to find out if it was an act of menace, CWS will look at the location where the cat was found to see if it was near a block with a ledge or window, or if it has other wounds such as stab wounds or rope around its body parts.

DEALING WITH DEAD OR DISTRESSED CAT CASES

Typically, CWS finds out about these cases through members of the public who alert their town council when they find a dead cat in their estate. The town council gets in touch with CWS to get it removed, and the group's members will take photos and put up posters around the estate and post notices on social media to find the cat's owner - or feeder, if it is a community cat, Ms Meranda said.

Thereafter, the cat's caregiver will decide if the cat's body should be sent for an autopsy to determine its cause of death, or to get it cremated.

CWS said it strongly advocates keeping pet cats indoors and meshing up windows and gates, sharing video of a dramatic rescue of a cat which had fallen onto an apartment ledge.

Ms Lau told Channel NewsAsia that CWS frequently gets calls to help rescue cats and relies on contract trappers for assistance.

It also takes care to ensure that people who foster cats put up for adoption have properly meshed up windows in their homes. "The cats under foster care are usually placed in a cage because it's better to have them in a confined space before they get used to a larger space, but we normally walk the (people fostering) through the process of taking care of the cats and if they did not mesh up their windows, we will advise them to," she said.

- CNA/dl


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