A woman was sentenced to 16 weeks in jail after 71 cats were abandoned in an HDB flat without water or electricity. Nine of the cats were reduced to carcasses or skeletal remains. In passing sentence, the judge said: “Animals cannot speak or seek help for themselves, and were betrayed by the people they depended on.”

Shin Min Daily News previously reported that the authorities were alerted to a third-floor unit at Block 469 Segar Road in Bukit Panjang at 8.28am on 20 February 2024. A joint investigation by the National Parks Board and the police uncovered 61 live cats, three animal carcasses and six cat skulls in the flat.

Further investigations showed that the flat’s electricity supply had been cut off since 2023. Its windows, which had no safety mesh, had also been left open, putting the cats at risk of falling.

The cats were abandoned by Muhammad Khairul Naim, 37, and Nurul Nadiah, 33, who were married but are now divorced.

Both faced 71 charges under the Animals and Birds Act and each pleaded guilty to 24 charges, with the remainder taken into consideration for sentencing. Muhammad Khairul Naim had earlier pleaded guilty and been sentenced to 16 weeks in jail, with a one-year ban on keeping pets. Nurul Nadiah was likewise sentenced to 16 weeks in jail and banned from keeping pets for a year on Thursday (12 November).

In passing sentence, the judge noted that animals cannot seek help from the authorities or speak for themselves, yet the accused, on whom they depended, had betrayed them. The flat had neither water nor electricity, and a large number of cats had been abandoned in a confined space, enduring appalling conditions for as long as 22 months.

The flat also had a high concentration of ammonia. Most of the cats were emaciated, and decomposing carcasses were found at the scene.

The judge found that Nurul Nadiah had knowingly left the cats in the flat and neglected them. She had provided neither food nor water and remained indifferent despite knowing that conditions inside were deteriorating. Apart from trying to find adopters, she had taken no other remedial action, so her conduct was far from a momentary lapse.

For the full report, see the 13 November 2026 edition of Shin Min Daily News.