Found: 18 corpses, some with throats slit

ANIMAL welfare groups are offering a $2,000 reward to anyone who can help catch a cat killer who has slaughtered at least 18 animals in Jurong East over the past two weeks.

Since Aug 20, cat corpses, many with their throats slit, have been appearing with disturbing regularity in drains, at void decks and under bushes. A cleaner in the area said he found 10 dead cats in the vicinity of blocks 323, 344 and 354 in the space of a week.

A group of residents and cat lovers from across Singapore are now monitoring the area, while the Cat Welfare Society (CWS) and the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) have asked the police to step up patrols.

Said Jurong resident Ng Swee Ching, 26, a public relations executive: 'We were horrified and decided to form a group to alert the other residents so that the killing will stop.'

Now, more than 20 residents and volunteers are on the lookout for the cat killer.

Yesterday, just as the group of kitty detectives asked for the media's help to alert more residents to the problem, another dead cat was found at the foot of Block 320, with its throat slit open.

Said one of the group's members, Miss Sandy Lim: 'This is not the first time the throats of the cats were cut. It's one of the most vicious wounds I've seen.'

Miss Lim and her friends - who have helped to catch two cat abusers in Bedok North and Kallang already this year - volunteered to help patrol in Jurong East, even though they live as far away as Changi and Eunos.

Said SPCA's executive officer, Miss Deirdre Moss: 'Finding so many dead cats reeks of foul play and is highly distressing. We are working closely with the volunteers and police and hope to solve this very soon before more lives are lost.'

The incidents have intensified calls from animal lovers for tougher penalties to be meted out to animal abusers.

Said the CWS' director of operations, Miss Dawn Kua: 'We are alarmed by the sheer violence of the crimes and the number of cats killed in this case. Coming so soon on the heels of the last few cases of abuse highlighted in the press, we feel that this is a good time to look into stiffer penalties for animal abuse.'

On Aug 24, air-con technician Wong Geng Thong, 28, was jailed for eight weeks for cat abuse. He had grabbed a cat by the neck and repeatedly bashed its body against the wall at a multi-storey carpark in Old Airport Road, Kallang.

The sentence prompted the SPCA to submit an appeal to the Attorney-General's Chambers for a stiffer sentence. It says the penalty sends a wrong signal that such brutality is tolerated in society.

The current penalty for animal abuse is a jail term of up to 12 months and a fine of up to $10,000.

Anyone with information about the Jurong East kitty killings can call the SPCA on 6287-5355.

tanya@sph.com.sg