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    • Owner alleges cat died at Pasir Panjang pet groomer due to negligence, did not handle emergency properly A Singaporean pet owner has accused a Pasir Panjang pet grooming salon of negligence after her cat, Brownie, died following a routine grooming session. Ms Audrey, Brownie’s owner, told MS News that the incident occurred on 18 Feb at a pet grooming salon in Pasir Panjang that she had been visiting for over two years. Image courtesy of Ms Audrey At 11.35am that day, she arrived with her two cats at the pet grooming salon. As requested by the staff, Ms Audrey dropped off her cats, Brownie and Bunnie, at the groomer’s and left.   At 12.14pm, the staff brought her cats into the grooming room. Two people attended to the cats, dubbed by Ms Audrey as ‘Groomer A’ and ‘Groomer B’. Groomer B tended to Bunnie while Groomer A groomed Brownie. At one point, Groomer A left Brownie unattended on the grooming table to assist Groomer B. Ms Audrey emphasised that in the CCTV footage, the over three-year-old Brownie “remained alert and active” with “no signs of limpness” during this time. Groomer allegedly performed scruffing of cat during bath From 12.29pm to 12.32pm, Groomer A gave Brownie a bath in a small tub. The cat exhibited signs of distress, standing on his hind legs at the edge of the tub, and seemingly gasping for air the entire time. Image courtesy of Ms Audrey Groomer A gripped Brownie by the back of his neck for the shower and even lifted the five-kilogram cat that way with one hand.     Image courtesy of Ms Audrey Squeezing a cat by the back of their neck, called scruffing, induces partial immobility in cats. Mother cats use this to carry their kittens around. However, scruffing causes significant fear and anxiety in cats and is not encouraged. It may also result in pain for adult cats. Despite Brownie showing no signs of aggression, Ms Audrey claimed the groomer continued using the technique throughout the session. Cat exhibits panting & signs of distress during grooming session After the shower, Groomer A placed Brownie in a drying box alongside Bunnie. At 12.36pm, Groomer B noticed Brownie panting and “showing signs of distress”. The cat shifted uncomfortably in the box and had his tongue sticking out. Image courtesy of Ms Audrey Another video a minute later depicted Brownie in a similar distressed state, panting rapidly in the box.6 Image courtesy of Ms Audrey The groomers did not stop the session or contact the cat’s owner immediately.   Ms Audrey returned to the pet grooming salon at 12.38pm and asked for her cat to be removed from the drying box. Brownie was placed on a table. He was foaming at the mouth and seemingly unable to breathe properly, struggling on his side. Groomer A attempted to place Brownie into his carrier so Ms Audrey could bring him to a nearby vet. However, the distressed pet “trashed violently in the carrier” while struggling to breathe and had to be taken out. Unfortunately, Brownie went limp on the floor after a few minutes and stopped breathing completely. Cat rushed to veterinary hospital Ms Audrey said Groomer A and B, the only staff in the shop, appeared unprepared to handle such a situation. They panicked and did not know how to perform CPR, Ms Audrey alleged. It took until 12.46pm for Ms Audrey to take a Grab from salon to Beecroft Animal Specialist & Emergency Hospital. 6 She arrived 17 minutes later at 1.03pm. The vets gave Brownie CPR and adrenaline shots in an attempt to save him.   At 1.45pm, the emergency vet told Ms Audrey that her cat could not be revived. They found fluid in his lungs and after testing it, the staff ruled out a heart attack or stroke as the cause of death. The vet suggested strangulation or an electric shock as possible reasons. Ms Audrey told MS News that she was “sobbing uncontrollably” over Brownie’s body. Afterwards, the heartbroken owner requested CCTV footage of the grooming from the salon’s boss. He later arrived at the hospital with his wife, who happens to be Groomer B. They showed MS Audrey the edited footage from their iPad, claiming that the original was too long. The footage’s timestamp also appeared to be a few minutes behind. Image courtesy of Ms Audrey While watching the footage, the emergency vet questioned whether the scruffing of Brownie had been necessary. Groomer B replied that Brownie was a nervous cat. However, the cat never scratched or bit the groomers according to the footage, which Ms Audrey claimed highlighted how needless the rough treatment was.   The vet then gave Ms Audrey two options: a post-mortem examination or a cremation. However, she emphasised that post-mortems usually led to inconclusive results, especially due to body damage sustained during CPR. After being told that she may not receive closure from the results, Ms Audrey decided against the post-mortem. Brownie was cremated at 6.15pm. Image courtesy of Ms Audrey Cat owner reports incident to AVS & SPCA Ms Audrey told MS News that she was left devastated by Brownie’s death. The heartbroken owner reached out to another vet with the footage, and they concurred that the use of scruffing was unnecessary. Ms Audrey said that it was “obvious” that Brownie was in distress and that the groomer disregarded his well-being. Image courtesy of Ms Audrey She felt that the groomer should have stopped the session and contacted her if her cat had panicked. As such, Ms Audrey submitted a report to the Animal & Veterinary Service (AVS) on 19 Feb, as well as to the police and Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) on 2o Feb.   Ms Audrey stated that she usually stayed to watch and film the grooming session. In the past two years of visiting this grooming salon, she noticed nothing amiss and said the pet groomer had been calm and gentle. Image courtesy of Ms Audrey “There was no indication that my cat would be treated differently when I am not watching.” In a one-star review on Google, she warned other pet owners to stay and monitor the grooming from start to end. She also shared her harrowing experience in an Instagram post on 2 March.   AVS investigating incident, groomer still allegedly working at salon According to Ms Audrey, the grooming salon’s owner had reached out to apologise over the phone. However, the groomer who handled Brownie had not contacted her and was allegedly still working at the salon. An Instagram post on 21 Feb indicated that the salon is “following up with NParks regarding an incident that has occurred” within their premises. “Until investigations have been concluded, we will be adjusting our operations and staffing arrangements,” the post said. In response to MS News’ queries, SPCA said that AVS is conducting investigations regarding this incident. “Our SPCA Inspectors will follow up closely with them,” they added. MS News has reached out to the grooming service and AVS for comments
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