Unsterilised cats bred in a Bukit Panjang flat until there were 71. After the owners moved out around April 2022, the cats remained in the vacant unit for about 22 months without adequate daily food, water or care. Nine died.
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How did the cats come to be left there?
Muhammad Khairul Naim Zainol and his then-wife, Nurul Nadiah Noor Mohamed, had kept cats without sterilising them. The cats bred, and the couple moved out around April 2022, leaving them in the flat. Its electricity and running water were cut off. Court documents described poor living conditions and insufficient daily food and water through February 20, 2024.
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What did authorities find on February 20, 2024?
During an inspection, authorities found severely unsanitary conditions and decomposing cat remains. The National Parks Board’s account says 62 live cats were recovered; nine cats died.
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The surviving cats were subsequently assessed as being in pain and distress. The reports link the nine deaths to the neglect, but do not provide a specific veterinary cause of death for each animal.
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What happened in court?
On September 23, 2026, Khairul was sentenced to 16 weeks’ jail and disqualified from owning animals for 12 months. He pleaded guilty to 24 charges under Singapore’s Animals and Birds Act for permitting unnecessary pain and suffering; another 47 charges were taken into consideration at sentencing.
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Nurul was also charged over the alleged neglect. The provided reports do not establish the outcome of her case, so Khairul’s sentence should not be taken as an indication that she received the same ruling.
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