Landlord locks expat out over rent dispute, pet cats trapped in condo for 4 days

For most pet owners, reuniting with their pets after a long trip away may be the best feeling ever.

But the reunion between a German expat and his pet cats was marred when his landlord reportedly locked him out of his apartment, trapping his pet cats with no food and water for four days.

Wolfram Gunther, who has lived in Singapore since 2021, rents a condo unit on the 25th floor of The Suites@Central located at Devonshire Road in Somerset, Shin Min Daily News reported yesterday (Aug 16).

The 50-year-old lawyer had relocated to Singapore with his family to seek medical treatment for his daughter's scoliosis, and subsequently adopted two pet cats — a calico named Brownie and a grey tabby named Olaf.

The family had flown to France in July this year to visit their relatives and arranged for daily visits from a pet-sitter to care for the cats while they were away.

When the family returned to Singapore on Aug 2, they found that the keycard for their apartment was not working.

They were notified afterwards by the condo management that the landlord had revoked their keycard access, locking the family out and trapping their cats in the apartment.

Gunther told the Chinese daily that he had a rent dispute with the landlord but declined to reveal more details. Checks by Shin Min found that the monthly rent in the condo could be as high as $12,000.

Although they were barred from entering the apartment, the landlord had allegedly promised that the pet-sitter would be allowed entry to take care of the cats.

The next day however, the pet-sitter was informed by condo security that the landlord had barred all entry to the house.

The security guards reportedly told the pet-sitter that they had "tried [their] best to co-operate with the owner's request, but [the owner] still refuses to allow access to the apartment".

Worried for the welfare of his cats, Gunther made a police report. After some discussion with the security guards, the police officers reportedly scattered cat food through the gap at the bottom of door and splashed water on the ground to feed the cats.

Subsequently, the landlord promised to send someone to take care of the cats on Aug 6 but failed to do so.

At his wits end, Gunther sought help from the Animal and Veterinary Service (AVS) on the fourth day of the ordeal.

AVS' group director Jessica Kwok told Shin Min that the cats had been rescued by the authorities on Aug 7 to ensure their safety. Investigations of pet neglect are ongoing.

Kwok also said that the cats are currently being cared for by AVS and have been found to be in good health.

ALSO READ: 'Skin and bones': 2 cats rescued from cage after being abandoned in rental flat near Havelock Road, skeletal remains of others found

lim.kewei@asiaone.com