Editor’s note: This commentary contains disturbing content.

SINGAPORE: One hundred dead cats found in a squalid home overflowing with faeces and urine in Japan.

A Labradoodle found with bones exposed and massive blood loss after her owner amputated her leg with scissors in Pennsylvania, US. 

Elsewhere, a global network of users who make videos of themselves mutilating or killing cats, sharing them in online chat groups for profit. 

These separate incidents, from vastly different corners of the world, are disturbing. They raise the question of who would commit such acts, and why they keep happening.

Singapore is not immune. In 2024, animal cruelty and neglect cases reached a 12-year high, according to data by the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA). Nearly 30 per cent of the 961 cases involved direct abuse or cruelty, while the rest were poor welfare or neglect cases.

While recent investigations concluded that the high-profile deaths of several cats in Punggol and Yishun were likely caused by vehicle accidents, the public outcry over what was initially thought to be deliberate acts of cruelty reflects rising concern over the broader treatment of animals.

Just last month, a 20-year-old pleaded guilty to committing an indecent act on a cat. In February, a 32-year-old was sentenced to 14 months’ jail for abusing five cats in Ang Mo Kio, two of which he threw off HDB blocks.

SOMETIMES, CRUELTY IS A CHOICE

For many, it is easier to believe that only those who are mentally unwell are capable of such cruelty. We look for signs of mental illness because it allows us to create emotional distance.

The truth is, ...