67-year-old man arrested after alleged arson of community cat houses in Bukit Batok

SINGAPORE: Local media reported that police were alerted at about 1.50am on 19 November 2025 to a fire at Block 263 Bukit Batok East Avenue 4, where makeshift community cat houses had been placed.

Police said on 20 November that a 67-year-old man was arrested for mischief by fire in connection with the incident.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) confirmed it was alerted at the same time.

It stated that the blaze involved combustible items at the void deck, and members of the public extinguished the fire using water.

SCDF added that no injuries were reported, and cats in the area appeared unharmed.

CCTV footage from a nearby unit captured the first incident.

In the video, a man in an orange vest approached a box beside a pillar at around 1.28am on 19 November and set it alight before walking away.

The fire burned for about 30 minutes before subsiding.

Throughout that period, several cats were seen moving around the void deck as residents approached to assess the situation.

Police and SCDF personnel arrived on scene at around 2am, according to the timestamp in the footage.

SCDF reiterated later that the fire had been put out by members of the public.

In a Facebook post shared on the community page “Sayang Our Singapore’s Community Cats,” a netizen named Lee said the man allegedly returned on 20 November.

A second surveillance video appeared to show a similarly dressed man again setting fire to items left for community cats.

This second episode lasted about seven minutes.

A woman who witnessed the act attempted to extinguish the flames, and another resident later joined her.

The woman appeared to be one of the residents who regularly feeds the cats, as the footage showed her caring for them after the fire was put out.

According to Lee, these incidents marked the latest escalation in a months-long dispute between cat feeders and a resident who had objected to the makeshift shelters.

She claimed the same individual had previously removed or discarded the boxes placed for the cats.

Earlier in September, cat feeders reportedly found similar boxes thrown away.

Lee stated that the community had sought help from a ground-floor resident with a surveillance camera, who agreed to provide footage whenever disturbances occurred.

Member of Parliament Rahayu Mahzam had addressed the issue in a Facebook post dated 18 September.

She wrote that a resident had raised concerns about the growing number of makeshift cat houses during a house visit.

In her post, Rahayu said her team would engage the cat feeders and encourage common ground.

She also noted that the concerned resident had removed some of the boxes and appealed for cooperation within the estate.

Police and SCDF investigations into the November incidents are ongoing.