chinnian/Flickr" width="100%" />
If you recall, Cuddles Cat Cafe at *SCAPE was a feline playspace that got ordered to shut down in Dec. 2014, less than four months after it opened. The former owner of the now-defunct business, Jonathan Tan Wei-De, has since been charged with providing false information on the health of the cats in his cafe and sentenced to two weeks’ jail and fined $3,500 on Tuesday (Apr. 18).
Back in October 2014, the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority of Singapore was notified about the cafe’s alleged mismanagement of diseased cats. Tan reportedly handed in falsified cat health records when he applied for a temporary license with AVA to keep animals for public interaction on his premises, according to AVA.
After an investigation was conducted, AVA discovered that Tan had breached licensing conditions by failing to keep the felines in good health. Before bringing them to the cafe for public interaction, he also failed to ensure that the cats tested negative for toxoplasmosis, a disease that can spread to animals and humans (!!). The case was then referred to the police.
The cafe even confessed that seven out of the 30 cats they had purchased had indeed died before its opening in mid-September.
For giving false information to a public servant and attempting to cheat, Tan was sentenced to two weeks in jail. For failing to abide by AVA’s licensing conditions, he was slapped with a $3,500 fine in default of two weeks’ imprisonment.
If you’re worried about the conditions of other pet cafes in Singapore, AVA ensures they’re all regulated through licensing and routine unannounced inspections, reports Channel NewsAsia. For feedback on animal welfare issues, get in touch with AVA via its 24-hour hotline, 1800-476-1600.
