<TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%"><TBODY><TR>Condo's feline mystery
</TR><!-- headline one : end --><TR>Nine stray cats found unconscious, but faintly breathing, in Bayshore Park </TR><!-- Author --><TR><TD class="padlrt8 georgia11 darkgrey bold" colSpan=2>By Teh Joo Lin
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The cats were put on intravenous drips and their condition last night was still uncertain, said the SPCA's Ms Moss, who added that she had never seen so many cats affected in this way - breathing so faintly that they looked like they were dead. -- PHOTO: SPCA
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<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->NINE stray cats were found unconscious within a condominium in the east yesterday morning.
Residents at the Bayshore Park condominium thought they were dead, but Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) officers found them to be still breathing.
They were put on intravenous drips and their condition last night was still uncertain, though two had responded positively, SPCA executive officer Deirdre Moss told The Straits Times.
She described the occurrence as 'very unusual'. In her 25 years at the SPCA, she said, she had never seen so many cats affected in this way - breathing so faintly that they looked like they were dead.
Six of the cats were found between 6am and 6.30am in various parts of the estate.
Security guards called the society, which sent its inspector. He collected what looked like canned cat food near one block.
Three more cats were found later. All of them - including a kitten - are now with the SPCA.
'When they first came in, they would seem to the layperson like they were peacefully sleeping. It was easy to mistake them for dead at a distance, but they had muscle twitches and were sensitive to sound and noise,' said Ms Moss.
The well-fed cats were examined by a vet, who found them in excellent body condition apart from the symptoms.
A blood test on one of the cats showed that its kidney and liver functions were normal.
The SPCA has sent samples of the cats' blood and the food to a laboratory for further tests.
A vet told the SPCA that it was not possible to determine if there was malicious intent until more is known, Ms Moss said, adding that the cats could have eaten spoilt food or been orally sedated.
A 25-year-old student who lives in the estate said: 'The cats here are very used to accepting food from people.' [email protected]
</TR><!-- headline one : end --><TR>Nine stray cats found unconscious, but faintly breathing, in Bayshore Park </TR><!-- Author --><TR><TD class="padlrt8 georgia11 darkgrey bold" colSpan=2>By Teh Joo Lin
</TD></TR><!-- show image if available --><TR vAlign=bottom><TD width=330>
</TD><TD width=10>
The cats were put on intravenous drips and their condition last night was still uncertain, said the SPCA's Ms Moss, who added that she had never seen so many cats affected in this way - breathing so faintly that they looked like they were dead. -- PHOTO: SPCA
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->NINE stray cats were found unconscious within a condominium in the east yesterday morning.
Residents at the Bayshore Park condominium thought they were dead, but Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) officers found them to be still breathing.
They were put on intravenous drips and their condition last night was still uncertain, though two had responded positively, SPCA executive officer Deirdre Moss told The Straits Times.
She described the occurrence as 'very unusual'. In her 25 years at the SPCA, she said, she had never seen so many cats affected in this way - breathing so faintly that they looked like they were dead.
Six of the cats were found between 6am and 6.30am in various parts of the estate.
Security guards called the society, which sent its inspector. He collected what looked like canned cat food near one block.
Three more cats were found later. All of them - including a kitten - are now with the SPCA.
'When they first came in, they would seem to the layperson like they were peacefully sleeping. It was easy to mistake them for dead at a distance, but they had muscle twitches and were sensitive to sound and noise,' said Ms Moss.
The well-fed cats were examined by a vet, who found them in excellent body condition apart from the symptoms.
A blood test on one of the cats showed that its kidney and liver functions were normal.
The SPCA has sent samples of the cats' blood and the food to a laboratory for further tests.
A vet told the SPCA that it was not possible to determine if there was malicious intent until more is known, Ms Moss said, adding that the cats could have eaten spoilt food or been orally sedated.
A 25-year-old student who lives in the estate said: 'The cats here are very used to accepting food from people.' [email protected]
