Home / Crime and Justice / Cat Hoarder Gets 16 Weeks for Neglect
Cat Hoarder Gets 16 Weeks for Neglect
14 Nov
Summary
- A woman was jailed for neglecting 71 cats in a filthy flat.
- Nine cats died, while others were found dehydrated and malnourished.
- The neglect lasted nearly two years before discovery.
A woman in Singapore has been sentenced to 16 weeks in prison for her role in the severe neglect of 71 cats. The animals were left in a filthy public housing flat for almost two years, leading to the deaths of nine cats and severe malnourishment for many others. The woman, Nurul Nadiah Noor Mohamed, 33, pleaded guilty to 24 charges of causing unnecessary suffering to animals and received a 12-month pet ownership ban.
Nurul and her former husband abandoned the cats in their Bukit Panjang flat in April 2022 when they moved in with his parents. The electricity and water were disconnected due to unpaid bills. Although the former husband initially provided some food, he eventually stopped entering the flat as conditions worsened, leaving supplies outside. The neglect came to light on February 20, 2024, when a neighbor reported a thin cat on an air-conditioning ledge. Authorities found the flat covered in feces and dirt, with a strong ammonia smell. All 61 surviving cats were dehydrated, and 44 were underweight.
Her former husband, Muhammad Khairul Naim Zainol, 37, was previously sentenced to 16 weeks in prison for similar charges. Prosecutors argued for a significant sentence due to the scale and duration of the neglect, while the defense cited financial difficulties and care responsibilities. The judge described it as one of the most serious animal hoarding incidents, emphasizing the cats' complete dependence on their owners.
