Death of community cat Xiao Hei in Woodlands sparks cruelty allegations, NParks investigating

SINGAPORE: A community cat known as Xiao Hei was found dead with severe injuries at an industrial park in Woodlands on 12 December 2025, sparking allegations of deliberate harm from its feeder and prompting an investigation by the authorities.

Photographs shared online showed the cat’s carcass lying beside a road, with a deep gash on one hind leg and parts of its entrails exposed. Bloodstains were visible on a patch of the cat’s fur.

The discovery was first made public in the Facebook group Sayang Our Singapore’s Community Cats by user Eileen Tan, who identified herself as Xiao Hei’s feeder.

According to her post, the cat was found within the industrial park where she usually fed it.

In a separate video, the carcass was seen placed inside a styrofoam box. It remains unclear what happened to the body after the video was recorded, and no further details were provided about its handling.

In her Facebook post, Tan alleged that Xiao Hei had been deliberately harmed.

“Evil individuals have harmed and killed my community cat, Xiao Hei, at the industrial park where I feed,” she wrote.

She further claimed that the cat had been “slashed” and that its “intestines has spilled”, describing the incident as deeply distressing for herself and other community cat feeders in the area.

Tan also said that a police report had been filed and that the National Parks Board (NParks) had been informed of the incident. She added that she hoped “justice is served” for the cat.

News of Xiao Hei’s death was earlier shared by another Facebook user, Janet CashCash Chin, who posted the same message on Tan’s behalf.

Chin later told Mothership that she was assisting Tan in disseminating the information and confirmed that Tan was the cat’s feeder.

The incident drew widespread attention on social media, with users expressing sadness and anger over the cat’s injuries, while others called for investigations to determine the cause of death before drawing conclusions.

Responding to media queries, NParks said it received feedback regarding the cat’s carcass on 12 December 2025. The agency confirmed that the incident occurred at 17 Woodlands Link.

According to NParks’ Group Director for Enforcement and Investigation, Jessica Kwok, officers spoke to a witness and visited the site where Xiao Hei was found. She said the carcass was first discovered in the middle of a road used by heavy vehicles.

Kwok stated that there was “no evidence presented to NParks to indicate any intentional act of cruelty” at this stage of the investigation, addressing claims made online about deliberate harm.

She added that a post-mortem examination is currently being conducted to establish the cause of death and the nature of the injuries sustained by the cat.

“We urge the public not to speculate on the details of the case and allow investigations to run their proper course,” Kwok said, emphasising the importance of evidence-based conclusions.

“As with all investigations, all forms of evidence are crucial to the process, and photographic and/or video-graphic evidence provided by the public will help,” Kwok added.

Members of the public with information related to the case have been encouraged to report it to NParks through its website or by contacting the Animal Response Centre at 1800-476-1600.