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A Community Cat is Spotted ‘Standing Guard’ on Panther’s Memorial in Boon Lay

2022-12-22 , 1:44 pm

In recent years, cute community cats have become the cornerstone of a welcoming home.

What’s an HDB flat without a few cats here and there, right?

Well, one boy has tried to solve that question… by killing the cats.

Community Cat Standing Guard at Pather’s Memorial

After the traumatising murder of the community cat in Boon Lay, residents held a makeshift memorial for the black cat, known as “Panther.”

Photos of the memorial at Block 186 Boon Lay Avenue were shared on TikTok by user @ummycaty.

When the memorial was first set up, it merely had a small bouquet, a cardboard box home, a small dish, some photos, and a letter detailing its death.

The note reads:

“By now, everyone would have heard of the tragedy that has befallen our community cat, the black cat Panther. Panther has been in our care and dearly loved for more than ten years. His caretakers would like to tell everyone that unfortunately Panther has succumbed to his injuries and passed away.

Panther was taken against his will and thrown off the 22nd floor to his death. The perpetrator was a cruel and heartless 10 year old boy, old enough to know better. We want justice for Panther who lost his life so tragically and meaninglessly. We appeal to everyone to have compassion for our community animals. Even if you don’t like them, please do not hurt them.

May Panther Rest In Peace.”

@ummycaty Rest in peace Panther, we loved you… #fyp #sgviral #fypシ #viralvideo #catsoftiktok #cat #kucing #viraltiktok #budakdegil #dangerboy #boonlay ♬ Sad Music – Max-Music

The Black Panther has fallen.

Love soon poured in, and in less than a week, the memorial saw many more bouquets, soft toys, and handwritten letters.

Image: Sayang Our Singapore’s Community Cats/ Facebook

@ummycaty Rest in peace Panther, we loved you… #fyp #sgviral #fypシ #viralvideo #catsoftiktok #cat #kucing #viraltiktok #budakdegil #dangerboy #boonlay ♬ Sad Music – Max-Music

On the Sayang Our Singapore’s Community Cats Facebook page, one user posted a photo of another community cat next to Pather’s memorial, as if guarding it.

Because the boy has not been taken into police custody, many expressed their worries for the cat, highlighting that it must be protected from the killer.

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Boy Caught on Camera Throwing Cat Down from 22nd Floor in Boon Lay HDB Flat

Lately, the gloomy weather has seen Singapore rain cats and dogs. Some hate it; some like it.

For one person, his love was so great that he tried to make it rain cats in broad daylight.

On 15 December, a cat was thrown off an HDB building. If you guess Yishun, you’d be wrong this time.

The incident happened in Boon Lay, but the fact that it’s not Yishun isn’t even the most shocking part.

So, what is it?

It’s that a young boy committed it.

In a video posted on Facebook, a boy, not older than 12, was seen hurling a defenceless cat down an HDB block. Following the video, it was reported that the cat killer committed his deed at the 22nd storey of Block 186 Boon Lay Avenue.

As the CCTV footage begins, it shows the boy exiting the elevator and making his way to the ledge. He chases the cat that runs out of the elevator and catches it in his arm.

Like a practiced criminal, he scans his surroundings for any onlookers.

Wouldn’t want anyone to find out about the crime, right?

After making sure the coast was clear, Changi Prison’s future shot put champion tossed the innocent black cat off the ledge and strolled away nonchalantly.

In the video, a loud thud was heard after the throw, likely signalling the cat’s touchdown.

Kitty litter, killer litter.

For the remainder of the video, the boy was strolling around the crime scene, trying to play his crime off cool.

Unfortunately, the cat passed away.

Why Did He Even Throw The Cat Down?

As previously mentioned, the helpless kitty was just a community cat and the boy had no grudge against it.

So, why did he kill an innocent animal?

In an interview with Zaobao, a 47-year-old resident, Cai Mei Mie (name transliterated from Chinese), said she confronted the boy regarding his actions.

Initially, the boy denied being a cat-apult, but later confessed when pressed.

According to the resident, the boy said he “did not receive love and care from his family” and resorted to murdering the community animal.

Authorities’ Response

SPCA has informed via Facebook of its awareness of the case. In response, the organisation has issued a statement.

They wrote: “We are deeply disturbed by the actions captured in the footage

“Animal abuse and cruelty have no place in our society. We stand strongly against animal cruelty and are working closely with the authorities on the case for the next course of action.”

After addressing the situation, they called on the public to report any cases of animal abuse they come across.

“If you witness any cases of suspected animal abuse, cruelty or neglect, please call the SPCA’s emergency hotline 6287 5355 ext 9, make a report at www.spca.org.sg/report or email [email protected].”

Apart from SPCA, another animal advocacy group has spoken up on the issue. Also on Facebook, the Cat Welfare Society addressed the case.

They said the group has “assisted the caregivers to file an AVS (Animal and Veterinary Service) report” and “linked the caregivers to the investigating officers.”

Public Petition

Since the incident, a petition was created on change.org. The petition, named “JUSTICE FOR PATHER”, has at the time of writing gotten more than 69,500 signatures, close on 70,000.

Started by a user named Nadya Im, it was addressed to five parties:

Minister for Home Affairs Mr K. Shanmugam
Minister of National Development and MP for West Coast GRC Mr Desmond Lee
MP for Nee Soon GRC Mr Louise Ng
Cat Welfare Society
SPCA

Hopefully, action will be taken against the perpetrator and we can finally do Panther justice.

Out of the Block, Out of the Blue

Animal abuse cases are hard to come by, even harder when the culprit is a child.

Here’s why this incident is so surprising:

Since then, the boy’s unit has been located by the Chinese news agency. When asked by reporters, his father declined to comment and said the issue was under investigation.

While this might be a confirmation of the boy’s reasoning, there are other pieces of evidence that say otherwise.

Other than the boy’s father, Zaobao interviewed the boy’s friend. Said friend was a 10-year-old boy living in the same block as the killer.

Recounting that he was quite quiet and always cheerful, he said they were the same age and would play with the other children in the area.

Would someone who’s always smiling have intentions of killing an innocent cat?

According to the executive director of SPCA, the organisation has visited the boy and is working alongside the relevant authorities in counselling the boy.

“Cases of child cruelty to animals are relatively rare and this incident proves that it is important to raise awareness about caring for animals.”

Penalty

Since the boy is considered juvenile, he would face leniency in punishment.

But what if he were a decade or two older?

Under the Animal and Birds Act 1965 Section 42, a person commits animal cruelty if they:

Cause or allow any unnecessary physical or psychological pain or suffering to any animal by beating, kicking, torturing, ill-treating, or terrifying the animal (and killing ahem);
Make a sick or unfit animal work; or
Are involved in any business or incident related to animal fighting (e.g., dogfighting or cockfighting)

For this, the culprit faces a fine of up to $15,000 and imprisonment for up to 18 months. If you decide to the cat guarding Panther, or any other cat after the first blood (essentially, repeat offence la), you can be fined up to $30,000 and imprisoned for up to three years.

Remember, you can throw fits, you can throw tantrums, just don’t throw these furballs.