Every Year, About 250 Cats Fall from High-Rise Buildings in S’pore

Last Updated on 2020-09-27 , 6:59 pm

“Guys, the humans have left. Today is the day… the day we escape!” says MiCat Scofield.

“Are- are you sure, MiCat? It’s… quite a high jump,” responds Lincoln Purrows with trepidation. 

“We’ve worked on this plan for months, Purrows. Do you really want to spend your whole life taking selfies with our human owners? Do you remember the time they dressed us up as human babies and fed us milk from a bottle for Halloween?”

*shivers* “Those monsters. Of course, I remember.” Purrows downs his glass of cold milk and licks his hand clean. “Alright, MiCat, let’s go!”

Tortoise: Hey guys, I’m not sure what’s going on with this little play of yours but can I come along?

We all know that while it is actually illegal to keep cats in HDB flats, many of our neighbours have pet cats.

But why do cat owners break the law just to keep a tiny animal in their house?

Oh right, that’s why. They’re incredibly adorable. So adorable, we’ll die for them.

But a statistic released by the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) might change your mind about keeping these furry pets in your HDB flat.

Every Year, About 250 Cats Fall from High-Rise Buildings in S’pore

According to the SPCA, 250 of our beloved felines fall from high-rise buildings every year. SPCA’s executive director, Dr Jaipal Singh Gill, said: “More than 80 per cent of Singaporeans live in high-rise buildings and more are adopting cats as pets.

This explains why the SPCA sees more than five injured cats from high-rise falls every week, The New Paper reported.

And if you think that’s bad, that’s just the number of cases reported to the SPCA. Dr Gill believes there are many more.

But why do these cats jump?

Curiosity

In this instance, curiosity does actually kill cats.

Locum SPCA vet Haoting Chow said “We’ve had cases of cats that had been sitting on window ledges all their lives but one day fall to their deaths because they were too curious or just accidentally rolled over.”

Now, you may have seen cats jump from high places and land gracefully on the ground like a fluffy pillow on a bed, but falls from high-rise buildings can result in serious injuries.

Usually, responsible organisations that allow people to adopt cat would require potential owners to have cat safety wire mesh or net on their windows before letting the feline live in the new home. But of course, what happens after that is beyond the organisation’s control.

Fractures, bleeding, and paralysis

Chow said that common injuries from these falls include fractures and bleeding, especially from the nose and mouth.

But sometimes a cat can sustain a severe injury like a spinal fracture, which could leave it paralysed for life, Dr Gill said.

Yikes.

One cat owner, Aisyah Hafizah, woke up to find her cat, Latte, bleeding from the nose and mouth.

She discovered that Latte had fallen from her fourth-storey flat. A neighbour had brought the injured feline back after she found it bleeding on the ground floor.

She now plans to wire-mesh all her windows.

Too late, Sis.

This negligence is one of the reasons many cats end up falling from high-rise flats.

As one SPCA shelter supervisor told The New Paper, “The hardest part was not the rescue itself but having to return the kitten to the family and having to trust the same thing would not happen again.”

SPCA, as one of the responsible organisations mentioned earlier, makes it mandatory for anyone who wants to adopt a cat to wire-mesh their windows and gates.

We’re forgetting, however, that cats are technically not allowed in HDB flats.

No cats in HDB

If you’re a responsible Singaporean, you’d probably check HDB’s website for their regulations concerning pet ownership before adopting a pet.

But let’s face it, you’re not and neither am I. So, let me tell you what HDB allows in high-rise buildings.

Not cats.

In their website, HDB makes it clear that cats are not allowed in flats because they are “generally difficult to contain within the flat”.

They also tend to “shed fur and defecate or urinate in public areas, and also make caterwauling sounds, which can inconvenience your neighbours.”

Yeah, HDB isn’t a fan of cats. Though people who live in HDB are.

Other animals too

Unfortunately, it isn’t just cats that fall from high-rise buildings.

One soft-shell turtle had fallen to the ground at the foot of Block 280 Yishun Street 22.  The turtle was illegal but the Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (Acres) could not find its owner.

Acres added that many animals are illegally imported and kept as pets, which have led to some owners being prosecuted.

These animals include snakes, tortoises, turtles, and iguanas.

Under the Endangered Species (Import and Export) Act, it is an offence to import, possess, display or sell such animals.

Anyone convicted under the Act can be fined up to $50,000 for each species or be jailed for up to two years, or both.

Please be responsible if you decide to keep a pet, especially a cat. Wire-mesh your windows, gates, and any other openings in your house. Remember, their life is in your hands.