16 weeks’ jail for woman who abandoned 71 cats in Bukit Panjang flat

SINGAPORE – For almost two years, a woman and her husband abandoned 71 cats in a filthy HDB flat without sufficient food and water, where animal carcasses and skulls were later found.

Their negligence was discovered only when a neighbour alerted the authorities about one of the distressed cats perched on an air-conditioning ledge.

Nurul Nadiah Noor Mohamed, 33, was sentenced to 16 weeks’ jail on Nov 12, after pleading guilty to 24 charges for permitting the causing of unnecessary pain and suffering to the animals.

She is also disqualified from owning pets for 12 months.

Her husband, Muhammad Khairul Naim Zainol, 37, who earlier pleaded guilty to the same number of charges, was jailed for 16 weeks on Sept 23.

When the couple purchased the Bukit Panjang flat in March 2018, they did not own any pets.

They acquired several unsterilised cats from early 2019, after which the animals began breeding rapidly.

Despite their attempts to rehome the cats, the number of cats in the unit continued to grow.

In April 2022, the couple moved out of the unit to stay with Khairul’s parents, but left the cats in the flat. A few months later, the unit’s water and electricity were cut off after utilities bills were unpaid.

Khairul claimed he returned to the Bukit Panjang flat daily to leave food and water for the cats, but stopped once it became increasingly difficult to enter the unit.

He resorted to placing food and water at the doorstep. The last time he entered the unit was in December 2023.

Court documents showed that Nurul accompanied her husband on almost all of these visits.

On Feb 20, 2024, the Animal and Veterinary Service (AVS) were alerted to a cat on the air-conditioning ledge of the unit. The animal, which appeared skinny and in distress, was rescued and taken to a veterinary centre for assessment.

At about 5pm on the same day, police officers visited the unit after receiving a separate call about a smell emanating from the flat.

A total of 61 living cats, three cat carcasses, six skulls and a bag of skeletal remains were found inside the flat.

The floor and furniture were caked in excreta and dirt. Faecal material was found throughout the unit.

Although several windows were left open, ventilation was poor, and there was a strong ammonia smell in the unit.

A report from an NParks veterinarian in May 2024 stated that many of the cats were thin, while nine were emaciated.

The veterinarian added that dry kibble that was placed at the door gate was “wholly inadequate” for the number of cats present.

Given the large number of cats in a small space, he believed the animals had to compete for limited resources, and were subjected to high levels of chronic stress, pain and suffering.

The NParks prosecutor sought a sentence of between 16 to 24 weeks’ jail for Nurul, noting that her actions were not a momentary lapse of care, given the duration of neglect.

In mitigation, Nurul’s lawyer, Lee Shen Han from Bonsai Law highlighted that Nurul had made attempts to rehome the cats.

He added that she was facing difficult personal circumstances, as she was caring for her ailing father and was facing financial difficulties.

The lawyer asked for a jail sentence of between 8½ weeks and 16 weeks.

In sentencing, District Judge Kenneth Chin said this was one of the most egregious cases of animal hoarding, in terms of the scale and duration.

He pointed out that the animals, who were incapable of alerting the authorities and seeking legal recourse, were completely dependent on Nurul and her husband.

The egregiousness of the facts meant a stiffer sentence was warranted, he added.