Cat found severed in half was abused by dogs, not humans, says SPCA but some are not convinced

SINGAPORE - Cat and animal lovers have been outraged over the fate of a feline since Tuesday, after pictures of a white cat that had been severed in half were circulated on the Internet.

Many felt that the gruesome act was committed by humans, but the Singapore Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) said in a Facebook post on Wednesday that the cat was killed by dogs.

"We are ruling out the cat's condition being caused by sole human agency," the post read.

The cat's horrible end was first highlighted by Cat Welfare Society volunteer Randy Wong, who posted pictures of the cat's carcass on Tuesday night. It had been found in Marine Crescent with its body in two and with a sizeable portion of its body missing.

Ms Joanne Ng, chief executive of the Cat Welfare Society, told The Straits Times on Wednesday afternoon that the cat was tame and friendly to people, and that the "initial images of the cat suggest there may have been abuse or perhaps some other animal attacked the cat".

In SPCA's Facebook post on Wednesday night, it stated that its vets have conducted a thorough investigation on the cat's carcass, and arrived at the finding that the cat's state was "wrought by the action of dogs from the community".

The post also mentioned that the cat's carcass is now with the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority for an independent post-mortem, and that the SPCA will post an update following the AVA's findings.

"We thank our informers for having alerted SPCA and the police to the cat's state," concluded the post.

Netizens, however, were unwilling to accept SPCA's findings.

Said netizen Veronica Ye in response to the organisation's Facebook post: "Seriously, how could dogs have the ability to do that?"

brynasim@sph.com.sg

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