PUBLISHED ONJanuary 27, 2026 7:55 AMUPDATEDJanuary 28, 2026 2:19 AMBYEsther LamDemolition works at an industrial area in the north of Singapore have put over 40 cats at risk of being displaced.
In an Instagram video on Jan 21, user kikaisingapore said that since demolition works began late last year, some of the areas have already been flattened.
The user added: "These cats are now left behind and living in empty factories, facing a risk of losing their shelter and safety.
"We know there are organisations and independent rescuers but everyone has their hands full and help is never enough. We have decided to take matters into our own hands since there is no way we can just leave them there without trying."
The video stated that the movement was named "kikai" — which means chance in Japanese — in hopes of giving the cats "a chance to have a warm bed (and) a fulfilling meal".
The account was set up by Jes Chua, a 21-year-old part-time administrative assistant, to raise awareness of the situation.
Jes, who heard about the situation from an acquaintance, Malina, told AsiaOne that the factories are already all empty as most of the workers have left and that the entire area is expected to be gone by the end of the year.
She added that there are three community feeders — Angela, Sharon and Weiling — who have been caring for the felines for many years and there are more than 40 cats that they are now trying to rescue and rehome.
One of her biggest concerns is about finding fosters so that they can rescue more cats.
"We couldn't find any fosterers and the other (ones) we all found were through my social media posts," said Jes, who set up accounts on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, YouTube and Xiaohongshu.
Aside from the challenge of finding foster homes, financial strain has also emerged as a growing concern.
Jes told AsiaOne that not much funds have been raised yet as the movement started only last week.
"Every time we bring the cat out from the area, we directly go to the vet first," she added.
Veterinary checks for the cats are expected to cost about $250 each on average, Jes said, adding that a recent surgery for one cat already cost $1,500 and checks for two other cats cost $467 last week.
The community feeders, who are not well-off themselves, have been paying out of pocket to care for the cats at the site and in other locations, said Jes.
She also launched a fundraising campaign on Give.Asia recently, which has raised around $4,000, to help offset the costs.
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