Stomper Jarjar21 and his dog were attacked by a stray cat as they were taking a walk along a sheltered walkway at Tampines Street 41.

Said the STOMPer:

"On Oct 9, at 7.30am, I was attacked by a stray cat while walking my dog along a sheltered walkway at Tampines Street 41.

"I did not take my usual route so when I spotted the stray cat, I walked in the direction away from it.

"However, the cat started hissing and arching its back and moving towards the pair.

"I then quickly walked away. However, on the return leg of the walk, I had to walk past the same walkway, and again the cat started hissing aggressively and approaching us.

"This time the cat sprinted towards us and started attacking my dog.

"I picked up my dog to try to protect it. The cat then started biting and scratching my hands instead.

"We managed to escape quickly but not without suffering some injuries. What was alarming about the incident was we did not even approach or provoke the cat (other than possibly walking past a public walkway where the cat considers to be its territory).

"This unprovoked incident left several bites and scratches on both my hands and a long cut in my dog's tongue.

"This is the second similar incident that has made its way to STOMP -- the first one was posted on Jun 9 where a girl suffered severe scratches on her leg when protecting her dog from stray cat.

"The issue concerns the feeding of stray cats on the streets of Tampines, allowing the number of stray cats to multiply.

"It is very common to walk past piles of cat food lying at void decks and corridors. Hence, it is more hazardous for dog owners to walk their dogs in the evenings.

"While dog owners should take extra care while walking their dogs, it is quite impossible to walk their dogs in a area with absolutely no cats around due to an increasing number of cats.

"Perhaps it is time for the authorities to consider more measures against people who feed stray cats in tandem with their effort to reduce the number of stray cats.

"A public place should be clean and safe for all, and not a feeding ground for strays. If people really want to help these stray cats, they should call the appropriate authorities instead of feeding them."