New Nee Soon MP to call for more penalties for animal welfare offences in wake of community cat deaths

Independent Singapore

05-06-2025

SINGAPORE: After a spate of recent cat deaths, Lee Hui Ying, one of the newly elected Members of Parliament (MP) for Nee Soon Group Representation Constituency (GRC), said earlier this week that she will raise the issue of enhancing penalties against animal welfare offences.
Since May, at least three community cats have been found dead in Nee Soon and Punggol. After a second cat was found lifeless in Nee Soon within a short amount of time, CNA reported that a bounty of S$5,000 had been put up in the hopes of finding the person responsible for the deaths.
Ms Lee noted in a Facebook post late on Tuesday night that the National Parks Board (NParks) finished investigations into the death of King Kong, the Nee Soon community cat found dead early last month, saying that it had likely been due to a vehicular accident. The death of the second cat from the area is still under investigation. See also Strange goings-on at SPH
'There is an important need to care for our community, including animals, in our estate. Most importantly, creating a safer environment for all,' the MP wrote, adding that she intends to speak on more penalties for animal welfare offences when Parliament reopens.
Ms Lee wrote that Singapore needs stronger laws and enforcement, stricter penalties for cruelty, and better protection for voiceless lives.
'Our animals don't have a voice — but we do,' she added.
CNA reported on Jun 4 that NParks has looked into the deaths of four cats, two in Yishun, one in Punggol, and one in Tampines.
NParks' group director of enforcement and investigation Jessica Kwok said that a road accident was also the likely cause of the death of the Punggol community cat.
'NParks understands the concerns on cases of alleged animal cruelty, and we would like to assure the public that we take all feedback received from the public on alleged animal cruelty seriously and will investigate them thoroughly, including looking at any new evidence presented,' she added.
Meanwhile, a petition calling for stronger enforcement of animal cruelty laws in Singapore has been shared on the Change.org platform.
'Community cats in Singapore are increasingly becoming victims of abuse, with more reports of physical harm, poisoning, and neglect surfacing in recent months. These animals, who often rely on the care of volunteers and kind-hearted residents, suffer silently with limited protection. Beyond the cats themselves, caregivers and animal welfare groups are also affected emotionally and financially as they scramble to treat injuries, report abuse, and seek justice within a system that often falls short,' it reads. /TISG
/TISG
Read also: S$5K bounty offered to find cat killer at Nee Soon; petition for stronger enforcement of animal cruelty laws shared