Man who abandoned 71 cats in Bukit Panjang flat given 16 weeks' jail

Nine of the cats, which were left neglected in the unit for almost two years, died.

A general view of the unit's kitchen and a cat found drinking water from the toilet in the unit. (Photos: NParks)

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SINGAPORE: A man who abandoned dozens of cats in his flat for almost two years, resulting in the death of nine of them, was sentenced to 16 weeks' jail on Wednesday (Sep 23).

Muhammad Khairul Naim Zainol, 37, was also disqualified from owning animals for 12 months, according to the National Parks Board (NParks).

He pleaded guilty to 24 charges of permitting unnecessary pain and suffering to the cats under the Animals and Birds Act. Another 47 charges were taken into consideration for sentencing.

"BRED UNCONTROLLABLY"

In March 2018, he bought a Housing Board flat in Block 469 along Segar Road in Bukit Panjang with his then-wife, Nurul Nadiah Noor Mohamed, who is a co-accused in the case . At the time, they did not own any cats.

From early 2019, the pair acquired several cats which, being unsterilised, "bred uncontrollably", court documents stated. Despite their attempts at rehoming the cats, the number of cats in the unit continued to grow.

Muhammad Khairul Naim Zainol (left) and Nurul Nadiah Noor Mohamed (right) arriving at the State Courts on May 6, 2026. (Photo: CNA/Ooi Boon Keong)

Sometime around April 2022, the pair moved out of the unit to live with the man's parents in what was intended to be a temporary arrangement but later became long-term.

A few months after they moved out, they realised the power and water supply to the unit had been cut off due to outstanding utility bills.

Muhammad Khairul claimed to have returned daily to leave dry pet food and water, but as it became increasingly difficult to enter the unit, he resorted to placing food and water at the doorstep instead.

He said he last entered the unit sometime in December 2023 and also revisited the flat on Feb 20, 2024, to place dry food at the doorstep.

DECOMPOSING CARCASSES

That morning, the Animal and Veterinary Service (AVS) received feedback about a cat found on the unit's air-conditioning ledge. The cat, which was skinny and in distress, was rescued by neighbours living one floor below before being taken to a veterinary clinic.

AVS officers went to the flat that afternoon, where police officers were already present after receiving a separate call about a smell coming from the unit.

A live cat was found on an aircon unit ledge. (Photo: NParks)

During the joint inspection, the AVS officers found 61 live cats, three cat carcasses, six skulls and one bag of skeletal remains - identified as those of at least six cats - inside the unit.

Together with the cat rescued from the air-conditioning ledge, a total of 62 live cats were recovered. Muhammad Khairul admitted that he owned all the cats and surrendered them to AVS.

The unit was found to be in a "severely poor and unsanitary condition" with the floor and furniture caked in excreta and dirt, while faecal material was also littered throughout the flat, according to court documents.

The unit also contained decomposing carcasses; cobwebs on window grills, walls, and ceilings; and pests, including cockroaches and flies.

While several windows were open, ventilation was poor and a strong ammonia odour was present, likely due to the build-up of organic material and excreta. Some windows were also not meshed and left open, posing a fall hazard to the cats.

The AVS officers noticed dry pet food left on the floor near the unit entrance and no fresh water supply inside. Muhammad Khairul claimed he had provided one small container of water daily.

In one photo taken during the seizure, a cat was seen drinking from a toilet bowl. The officers noted pooling dirty brown water on the toilet floor, likely contaminated with faecal matter.

A cat was found drinking water from the toilet in the unit. (Photo: NParks)

There were also a few cats roaming freely in the unit, with several of them hiding under a mattress or curtains.

Two cats found hiding in the unit. (Photo: NParks)

CATS EMACIATED, DEHYDRATED

An NParks veterinary report found that all 61 cats had experienced pain and suffering.

Most of the cats assessed had a body condition score indicating they were either very thin or thin, while nine were emaciated.

One representative cat gained 45 per cent of its body weight over five-and-a-half weeks after it was given a normal daily ration, eventually reaching an ideal body condition score.

"The large number of cats housed in a small space meant that the cats were required to compete for the limited available critical resources, including food and water," read the court's statement of facts.

The veterinary findings deemed that the food provided was wholly inadequate for the number of cats present and almost all the cats were found to be dehydrated.

"The observation of a cat drinking from a contaminated toilet bowl further demonstrates the inadequacy of the water supply and facilitates the transmission of parasites and disease through the faecal-oral route, predisposing the cats to diseases such as salmonellosis, coccidiosis, and giardiasis."

A large proportion of the cats had generalised alopecia or hair loss over their bodies, likely due to parasitic infestation, while a small number also had neurological signs and/or abnormal behaviour, likely due to low blood glucose levels.

One of the cats was pregnant and thin, and had dental disease, signs of infection or inflammation, a healing wound and severe hair loss.

Most of the cats were "skittish and unsocialised", and their forced proximity to one another would have subjected them to high levels of chronic stress, the report stated.

LEFT UNATTENDED FOR 22 MONTHS

Investigations found that Muhammad Khairul and Nurul Nadiah - as the owners of the cats - had left them unattended in severely poor living conditions for a prolonged period of about 22 months, from April 2022 until Feb 20, 2024.

"Despite claiming to have returned daily to provide food and water, the food and water provided were clearly insufficient for the number of cats present, as evidenced by the physical condition of the cats upon seizure," read the statement of facts.

Muhammad Khairul also did not enter the unit after December 2023 and was aware that it was in an unsanitary and uninhabitable condition.

He was first charged in May alongside Nurul Nadiah. Each was handed 71 charges at the time.

For each charge of causing unnecessary pain or suffering to an animal, an offender can be jailed for up to 18 months, fined up to S$15,000, or both.

Nurul Nadiah's case is pending and will be heard on Oct 6.

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这九只猫被遗弃在屋内近两年，无人照管，最终死亡。

这是该单元厨房的全景，照片中可以看到一只猫正在单元内的马桶里喝水。（照片：国家公园局）

这段音频是由人工智能工具生成的。

新加坡：一名男子将数十只猫遗弃在自己的公寓里近两年，导致其中九只猫死亡，周三（9月23日）被判处16周监禁。

据国家公园局（NParks）称，37 岁的 Muhammad Khairul Naim Zainol 也被禁止在 12 个月内拥有动物。

他承认违反《动物和鸟类法》，犯有24项允许猫遭受不必要痛苦和折磨的罪行。另有47项指控在量刑时被考虑在内。

“不受控制地繁殖”

2018年3月，他与当时的妻子努鲁·纳迪亚·努尔·穆罕默德（本案的共同被告）在武吉班让的实加路第469座组屋购买了一套组屋。当时，他们没有养猫。

法庭文件显示，自2019年初以来，这对夫妇收养了几只猫，由于这些猫没有绝育，“繁殖失控”。尽管他们试图为这些猫寻找新家，但公寓里的猫的数量却持续增加。

2026年5月6日，穆罕默德·凯鲁·纳伊姆·扎伊诺尔（左）和努鲁·纳迪亚·努尔·穆罕默德（右）抵达国家法院。（图片：CNA/Ooi Boon Keong）

大约在 2022 年 4 月，两人搬出了公寓，与男方的父母同住。这原本只是暂时的安排，但后来变成了长期居住。

搬出去几个月后，他们才发现由于拖欠水电费，房子的电力和供水被切断了。

穆罕默德·凯鲁尔声称他每天都会回来留下宠物干粮和水，但随着进入该单元变得越来越困难，他只好把食物和水放在门口。

他说他最后一次进入该单元房是在 2023 年 12 月的某个时候，并且于 2024 年 2 月 20 日再次来到该公寓，在门口放置了一些干粮。

腐烂的尸体

当天早上，动物和兽医服务处（AVS）接到报告，称有人在公寓的空调外机窗台上发现一只猫。这只猫又瘦又痛苦，被楼下邻居救出后送往兽医诊所。

当天下午，AVS 的工作人员前往了这间公寓，此前警方接到另一起报警，称该公寓散发出异味，因此已经有人在现场。

一只活猫被发现趴在空调机台面上。（图片：国家公园局）

在联合检查期间，AVS官员在该单元内发现了61只活猫、3具猫尸体、6个头骨和1袋骨骼残骸——经鉴定至少属于6只猫。

连同从空调外机边缘救出的那只猫，一共救出了62只活着的猫。穆罕默德·海鲁尔承认这些猫都是他的，并已将它们交给AVS（动物福利协会）。

根据法庭文件，该单元被发现处于“极其糟糕且不卫生的状况”，地板和家具上沾满了粪便和污垢，而且公寓内到处都是粪便。

该单元内还有腐烂的动物尸体；窗户格栅、墙壁和天花板上布满了蜘蛛网；以及蟑螂、苍蝇等害虫。

虽然几扇窗户开着，但通风很差，空气中弥漫着浓烈的氨气味，这可能是由于有机物和粪便堆积造成的。有些窗户也没有安装纱窗，敞开着，对猫咪构成了跌落的危险。

AVS工作人员注意到单元入口附近的地板上散落着干宠物食品，且单元内没有饮用水。穆罕默德·凯鲁尔声称他每天都会提供一小罐水。

在查封过程中拍摄的一张照片中，可以看到一只猫正在马桶里喝水。警员注意到马桶地板上积聚着脏兮兮的棕色污水，很可能被粪便污染了。

有人发现一只猫在公寓的马桶里喝水。（图片：国家公园局）

房间里还有几只猫自由活动，其中几只躲在床垫或窗帘下面。

两只猫被发现藏在屋内。（图片：国家公园局）

猫咪极度消瘦，脱水

国家公园局的兽医报告发现，所有 61 只猫都经历了痛苦和折磨。

大多数接受评估的猫的身体状况评分表明它们要么非常瘦弱，要么很瘦，其中九只猫极度消瘦。

一只代表性的猫在获得正常的每日食物配给后，五周半的时间里体重增加了 45%，最终达到了理想的体况评分。

法院的事实陈述中写道：“大量猫被安置在狭小的空间里，这意味着猫们不得不争夺有限的关键资源，包括食物和水。”

兽医的检查结果表明，提供的食物完全不足以满足猫的数量，而且几乎所有的猫都出现了脱水症状。

“观察到猫从受污染的马桶里喝水，进一步表明供水不足，并促进了寄生虫和疾病通过粪口途径的传播，使猫容易患上沙门氏菌病、球虫病和贾第虫病等疾病。”

大部分猫咪全身出现脱毛或毛发脱落，可能是由于寄生虫感染所致；少数猫咪还出现神经系统症状和/或行为异常，可能是由于血糖水平过低所致。

其中一只猫怀孕了，而且很瘦，患有牙科疾病、感染或炎症迹象、正在愈合的伤口和严重的脱毛。

报告指出，大多数猫都“胆小且不善社交”，被迫彼此靠近会使它们承受高度的慢性压力。

无人看管长达22个月

调查发现，猫的主人穆罕默德·凯鲁尔和努鲁尔·纳迪亚从 2022 年 4 月到 2024 年 2 月 20 日，将猫遗弃在极其恶劣的生活条件下长达约 22 个月。

事实陈述中写道：“尽管声称每天都会回来提供食物和水，但提供的食物和水显然不足以满足猫的数量，从猫被查获时的身体状况即可看出。”

穆罕默德·海鲁尔自 2023 年 12 月起也没有进入过该单元，并且知道该单元卫生状况恶劣，不适宜居住。

他和努鲁·纳迪亚于5月首次被起诉。当时两人均被控71项罪名。

每项造成动物不必要的痛苦或折磨的指控，违法者可被判处最高 18 个月监禁，最高罚款 15,000 新元，或两者并罚。

努鲁·纳迪亚的案件仍在审理中，将于10月6日开庭审理。

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