"He is very fierce, very suspicious," Ms Lim warned me as she put the caged cat on the examination table. "He has been a stray cat for the past three years."  Stray male cats on the streets are notorious for scratching stranger vets and trying to flee. 


I still remembered one cat who leapt up from the examination  table onto a higher table near the wall, gripped the side of the concrete wall and shot himself into a gap where the big sewerage pipe entered the false ceiling board from upstairs and hid himself up above the false ceiling, hissing at anyone who tried to catch him. All these were done in less than five seconds after a backside tranquiliser injection to prepare him for castration. Fortunately, the tranquiliser took effect, otherwise, it would be impossible to bring him down from the confined area above the false ceiling. This incident caused me to respect all cats coming to the surgery.    

"Close the sliding door tightly," I told Nurse Ann. "Bring a cat cage to transfer this cat into and I will inject him from inside the cage, using phone books to squeeze him into a corner." 

If the stray cat escaped through the door, he could run anywhere and it would be freedom. It is extremely difficult to catch a cat.  

He was the common Singapore stray cat. Greyish dull coat with white collars covered by tiger stripes on the legs and tails.

No glossy coat as you could see on a well groomed stray cat (picture). 

This was a street fighter and the infected wounds had taken a toll on his health. He might have viral infections and worm infestations over the years. 

He was emaciated, with just sufficient body weight to live to fight another day. His left lower leg reddened with six cat bite puncture wounds.   

He was not the ideal patient for surgery as his body was stained with black carbon particles. His scrotal sacs housing his testicles were blackened with layers of dirt. 

"How did you manage to capture him?" I asked Ms Lim.

"I put food inside this cat carrier and he went inside. Although I fed him since he was a kitten, he was very wary of me."

Ms Lim started to transfer her cat. The cat's bright yellow eyes opened wide. Quickly, I injected him with a tranquiliser. He did not scratch me or attempt to run away. He was then kept in the cat cage. 

Five minutes later, at least four tablespoonfuls of wet yellowish cat feed were vomited out, an effect of the xylazine tranquiliser.  Usually, cats are starved overnight and at least 12 hours before anaesthesia. Ms Lim said that her cat had his meal 12 hours ago but the food was still in the stomach. He must have been very hungry.     

"Do you want his left ear tip to be cut off?" I asked Ms Lim. The Singapore veterinary authorities have a scheme whereby they don't impound stray cats with left tipped ears provided somebody in the neighbourhood was responsible for looking after them.

"Yes," Ms Lim said. 


"He cannot be back on the streets after the ear surgery as the cut edge of the ear takes around one week to heal. Why don't you keep him in the surgery for one night as it is free of charge?" I said. "He had an antibiotic injection and this deworming tablet would clear him of intestinal worms. Can you keep him at home for the next few days?" 

Ms Lim shook her head. "My parents prohibit cats at home, but I have a friend who will look after him as I will be going on holidays tomorrow."  

This cat looked as if he lived hungry years. He looked more than three years old. He looked skinny, like those old cats with kidney problems. Yet looks can deceive. His weight loss would be due to multiple and frequent toxic infections accumulated from his frequent fights to establish his territory. He probably slept very short hours as he had so many competitors in this Housing and Development Board neighbourhood.

He had a big heart but was not big sized. Could other male cats gang up to bite his left leg? Ms Lim took him back after castration as she had to go on her pre-Christmas holidays the next day. 

I hope the removal of the aggressive testosterone hormones from castration would give her cat a peaceful life in the concrete jungles of the highly built up apartments of Singapore.  

Ms Lim, in her twenties and her boyfriend represent the younger educated generation who cared for nature and animals. Her parents would be the baby-boomer generation who had brought up children on deprivation.  This generation considers helping stray cats a waste of money. Keeping one in her home was out of question. So, this street fighter had to lead a vagabond life in the concrete jungle. At least the government cat catcher would not eliminate him since he had his left ear tipped.

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