Community Cats Living in Condo Carpark Led to a Spat Between Residents & Management

By
Zhi Hao
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Cats may make precious and adorable pets, but it appears that they can also be a menace to the public.

Like those that stole your heart with their cuteness whenever you see them.

Or those that led to a long argument in a condo.

According to The Straits Times, stray cat issues over at a Condominium in Kembangan have led a disgruntled resident to file a case with the Strata Titles Board, thus causing what is effectively a spat between residents & management.

It is believed to be the first reported case of its kind here in Singapore – wherein the issue of stray cats has actually led to a condo spat.

Community Cats Living in Condo Carpark Led to a Spat Between Residents & Management

According to the news report, the unit owner had filed a case with the Strata Titles Board last October over damage done to her car by stray cats.

Apart from scratching her car in the basement carpark, the felines also supposedly caused annoyance and nuisance.

According to her lawyer, the condo management corporation (MC) is expected to manage the property with all unit owners in mind.

Those “effectively treating the cats as their pets”, she argued, should be subject to pet by-laws and regulations.

Response

In response, the MC admitted that there were indeed “free-roaming cats” in the premises. However, it stated that steps have been taken to address the concerns.

For instance, the affiliated personnel had convened with a mediator from the Cat Welfare Society (CWS) to discuss the situation. They also put the cats up for adoption.

In addition, they proposed the utilisation of cat repellents or spike mats, and suggested that that the resident use the upper carpark floors instead.

Rejected

The suggestions were ultimately rejected, on the grounds that they were deemed to be largely ineffective.

Cat repellant, in particular, had to be applied every few hours, and reportedly left her car in a sticky and dirty state.

It should be noted that the management had actually been told to remove the cats last August.

There was, however, a petition seeking “to leave the cats where they are”, with 42 individuals putting their signatures to it.

The board has since dismissed it, stating that MCs should not be influenced by such notions, “especially where the council has been duly elected or empowered by the general body at an annual general meeting”.

And though the CWS mediator in question has testified the possibility of unsterilised cats taking over the territory upon the removal of the current cats, the board was not convinced.

Considering how there was at least another incident of cars being harmed by cats, which happened in January 2018, the board ultimately had no other choice but to issue the verdict:

The tabbies will have to be evicted.

In addition, the MC will have to reimburse the owner $11,398 in costs and disbursements.

Tabbies

It is unclear where the tabbies will be shifted to, though it appears that the three cats were supposedly under the care of a certain “Uncle Daud” – the condo’s gardener.

For the record, this notion was also one of the reasons why the board chose to have the cats removed.

“Uncle Daud is not a subsidiary proprietor or an occupier and it would be absurd if the law allowed him to keep and care for the cats in the condominium and for his cats to roam freely at the common property,” said the board.

Nevertheless, it’s a saddening notion for the affiliated felines, as they would now have to find a new home.

It is also a worrying aspect, considering the cat-related crimes that have been prevalent over the last couple of years.

Featured Image: Nelson Antoine / Shutterstock.com (Image is for illustration purpose only)

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Zhi Hao
Email: [email protected]