NParks looking into allegations that man cut community cat's fur and whiskers in Everton Park

SINGAPORE: The National Parks Board (NParks) is looking into allegations that a man held down a black community cat and cut its fur and whiskers with a pair of scissors.

Closed-circuit television footage was posted on Instagram by user @timmytheblackcat_ on Sunday (Feb 8), a day after the incident.

The video showed a man dressed in a brown T-shirt and shorts approaching the cat, wearing gloves and holding a pair of scissors.

He can be seen holding the cat down behind the wall and using the scissors. The cat then broke free and the man pursued the animal.

Another post on the Instagram account, which is purportedly run by the community cat's carer, showed clumps of fur in the cat's basket and on the ground. It also showed the cat's left whiskers had apparently been cut.

CNA has contacted the carer for more details.

In response to CNA's queries, NParks' director of enforcement and investigation Joshua Teoh said: "NParks takes all feedback received from the public seriously, and investigates it thoroughly if there is sufficient information provided. 

"As with all investigations, all forms of evidence are crucial, and photographic and/or videographic evidence provided by the public will help."

He reminded the public to promptly report suspected animal welfare cases, such as animal cruelty or neglect, to NParks at go.gov.sg/reporttoavs or call its Animal Response Centre at 1800-476-1600.

A report from the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) released earlier this month showed that there was a dip in the number of animal cruelty and welfare cases last year.

But the 608 confirmed cases in 2025 remain an "alarming" figure, said the SPCA, as they represent only the cases that the charity is aware of, and nationwide numbers are likely to be higher.

In 2024, the SPCA recorded 961 such cases, a 12-year high.